The surfing competition at the 2024 Olympics is almost underway, and there is no shortage of stars and storylines to keep an eye on when it kicks off at Teahupo'o. Before it starts, NBCOlympics.com's Shawn Smith sat down with NBC's Olympic surfing commentator Joe Turpel, well-known as the voice of the World Surf League Championship Tour, to discuss the competitors, venue, and what he thinks will happen before he calls the event in Tahiti. The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.
Let's start off with one of the big stories this year: John John Florence has returned to form, leading the WSL standings by a wide margin right now and is on track to take that No. 1 spot into the finals. What’s been the difference for him this year?
He's 31 now and he's always been called the best surfer in the world, even before he won world titles back-to-back in 2016-17. But the biggest issue for him since then has just been injury after injury, missing about 24 Championship Tour events and having to leave the tour when he was beating world No. 1s. So, his hunt for a third world title has been tough. Even his debut in the Olympics in Japan, he showed up because it was the Olympics. If it was a different event, he probably would have been trying to heal up because he wasn't anywhere near 100%. The key for him is being healthy. He's stronger than ever and he understands how hard he can push his body what he can withstand. Him leading [the WSL Championship Tour] by almost 10,000 points, which is basically a Championship Tour win at this point of the year, and featuring in four finals out of the eight events we've had this season, is a testament to him surfing at the top of his game, but also being healthier than he's ever been before.
How about the other American in the Olympic field, Griffin Colapinto, sitting at No. 2 behind Florence right now. What have you seen from him this season?
Griffin has been great. He's one of those guys that is really digging deep into the belief and been focused on the mental side, diving deep into meditation and confidence. That's been a huge change for him going into this year. He’s always had the talent, the natural ability. He’s accomplished a lot. He got a second win in Europe this year and he was runner up at Bells Beach, making his first final at that venue. So, he's found incredible success, more consistency, and I think the big change for him is just finding consistent belief and getting rid of any doubts. Being able to show up as the world No. 2 at this part of the year is one of the best seasons he's ever had.
Turning to the Brazilians, there's a lot of storylines here. First you have the guy who didn't make the team, the reigning champion, Italo Ferreira. Then you have two guys that we haven't seen a ton of this year. Felipe [Toledo] withdrew from the tour in February and Joao [Chianca], who missed the first half with a serious injury. Then you have [Gabriel] Medina. So what are you looking for from this team?
This era of pro surfing is named The Brazilian Storm. The last nine seasons, we've had seven Brazilian world titles, they're completely leading professional surfing. You look at Italo [Ferreira], he’s clearly heartbroken not to be on the Olympic team this year. He got the gold in Tokyo and a season ending injury happened in Jeffrey's Bay last year and ruined his chances of qualifying. He came back stronger than ever and actually won Tahiti this year, which will probably feel good for him even though he's devastated that he won't be there to defend his gold medal.
The other two guys that you mentioned, Toledo and Chianca, both have been kind of missing from action this year, which brings up some question marks. For Joao, he’s really young and finished No. 4 in the world last season, but then had a really scary injury at Pipeline in the offseason which has sidelined him for a long time. We saw him in two Championship Tour events recently as a wildcard, but the question mark is, “is he going to be ready to go if it's big?” His reputation and the way he charges in Tahiti is amazing and he'd be a big threat, but we just haven't seen it yet in his recovery.
With Felipe Toledo, even though he's a two-time world champ, Tahiti has been his Achilles heel his whole career. He's won world titles because he's devastating in other types of waves, but big barrels over a shallow reef have never been his thing. So that's a question mark.
Then you go to Gabriel Medina, who you have to say is a favorite for a gold medal, even over John John [Florence] and guys like Jack Robinson and Griffin [Colapinto]. Gabriel Medina is a three-time world champ and has the best track record competing in Tahiti. He has more consistency there than anybody else in the world the last decade. Gabriel checks all the boxes.
You mentioned Jack Robinson. Who are some other names that viewers should be keeping an eye on, aside from the Americans and the Brazilians?
Jack Robinson is a great one. He won in Tahiti over Medina two years ago. He's a specialist when it comes to what we call slabbing-type waves, waves that fold over on themselves and you're trying to get the barrel of your life. He can handle being over shallow reef better than anyone else, and man, when you look at his face, he is so zen and calm in hairy situations. So, Jack Robinson would definitely be a favorite for Australia to medal.
And then there's a guy named Kauli Vaast. He is a local boy from Tahiti, and he almost won the [WSL] event there as a wildcard. He was runner up to Miguel Pupo a couple years ago. He's one of those guys that wants to represent France, and Tahiti, in the Olympic Games, and he can be very, very dangerous out there.
Turning to the women's contest, let’s start with the reigning Olympic champion Carissa Moore. She’s had a limited schedule this year and is taking a break from surfing after the Olympics. What are you expecting from her, and do you foresee this being an emotional contest for her and even the other women that might be competing against her for the final time?
It's been an emotional year for her fans, and I’d imagine herself as well. Her stepping away from the world title race this year, that's a huge statement. She's one of the all-time greats in the sport of surfing, she's almost incomparable. She's that one-of-one type of human being and athlete representing Hawaii. But it was a strategic move for her to step aside. She's won five world titles and won the first gold for surfing. The goal was obvious to me in her stepping away: She's all in on a gold medal. With her legacy, you wonder what she would do if she won gold? Would she just drop the mic right there and move on?
Her American teammates are having great years in her absence. Just like the men, the U.S. women are No. 1 and 2 in the WSL rankings. What have you seen from Caitlin Simmers and Caroline Marks this year?
It's so cool when you think about how USA has the top two men and women at this point of the season. That doesn't happen every year. Caroline Marks is a reigning world champion. She won it for the first time last year, upsetting Carissa Moore in the WSL finals. She's always been destined to reign. She's won in Tahiti over Caity Simmers in that final a couple years ago, so that's a pretty healthy-looking USA squad on the women's side.
Caity Simmers is 18 and probably one of the hardest-charging young women we've ever seen. She's getting tags like, “you're the next Carissa Moore.” She's only 18, but she's leading the entire tour with progression, especially with barrel riding. She's such a grom as we call it in surfing, just the pure joy and love of getting in the water. And she happens to beat everybody with this cool, calm, collected approach. With Caity, Caroline, and Carissa, you're seeing medals in there.
Who are who are some of the other names people should have their eye on in the women's field?
We just came off an event in Tahiti, which is the Olympic venue Teahupo’o, and it was one of the most monumental, groundbreaking moments in professional surfing history for the women. One to watch representing Brazil is Tatiana Weston-Webb. She had a perfect 10-point ride in a semifinal with Vahine Fierro. Those two names are hands down going to be the ones to watch. That semifinal we just had, at the Championship Tour level, in my mind is one of the greatest feats in history. And, that wave ridden by Tatiana might be the best wave rode in surfing history, so Tatiana would be a clear favorite to watch. Then Vahine Fierro, like we mentioned before with Kauli Vaast, lives right there in that small quiet town at the end of the road and she just picked up a huge win over the best in the world in pumping conditions. She's going to be a favorite for gold.
Shifting to Tahiti, there's been a lot said about the venue. Can you explain what makes the venue so unique and such a good fit for having the Olympic surfing competition?
The wave itself is magical and terrifying, all at the same time. It's all paradise. It's untouched and when you look towards land when you're in the water, there’s these green pyramid mountains. Then you have freshwater that goes through those valleys and carved out that reef pass and it makes it so frightening because the water is so deep, and then abruptly turns into an incredibly shallow shelf out of nowhere. You almost can't see the sets coming from too far out to sea and then all of a sudden, it's like the ocean’s folding on itself. It creates this unbelievable phenomenon of barrel riding. In surfing, that's the best thing you could ever feel or experience in the ocean. It's what people hunt for their whole lives. It's not a wave though where every surfer in the world wants to go surf because it’s dangerous. It's incredibly scary. It's for the elite, for the best. When all the elements align and the weather's great and the swell directions perfect, it's one of the greatest shows on Earth.
Which surfers are best suited for this wave?
You’ve got to be really brave, have an ability to read the ocean, and be willing to enjoy all the rides, meaning that you want to go out there and get the barrel of your life, the wave of your life. But you also have to be willing to have the worst wipeout of your life in the same heat. I think the biggest thing that sets these athletes apart from anyone else in the world is if they want to get 10s, they're going to take a beating. They're going to take something that would probably send most people into retirement and they're willing to look at it and go again. All those names we talked about from John John [Florence] to Jack [Robinson] to Caity Simmers, they're all willing to have the most frightening wipeout and have the calm headspace to say, “I'm okay and I'm going to go do that again.” That's what you see in Tahiti.
Surfline is predicting a stronger than normal swell during the competition window. How would that impact things? Is that going to change who the favorites are or the how the competition itself looks?
Completely. In surfing in general, you're always going, “Who are the favorites? And you're like, wait, let me see the forecast. Let me see what the waves are like because it's a big difference.” There are certain people when it gets really big, they get stronger and stronger, and there's some surfers, if the waves get small, they're not the best at surfing Tahiti when it's small. It's still a fun wave, but you want to see fear in people's eyes. If it’s really pumping, it will be guys like [Gabriel] Medina and John John [Florence] and Jack Robinson, all the ones that you predict naturally because you're thinking it's going to be big. It's those ones that really step up. Caity Simmers, Vahine Fierro, and Tati [Weston-Webb] will be heavily favored if it's giant. It'll be the bravest that will succeed and the ones that balance that bravery with good execution because there's some people that will charge, but that doesn't always win heats if you're getting exploded on the reef. There’re certain surfers out there that can stay calm, still think clearly, and charge, but they're very efficient with how much they're sending it over the ledge.
Now, for viewers at home who are watching the surf contest for the first time. What should they be looking for and paying attention to as they watch?
I think they're going to be taken away by just the raw beauty of the place. Once you get past that, you're going to enjoy the whole event. When you really want to break down a good barrel ride, like when you think about a 10-point ride, it's really beautiful in surfing because it's a moment where you know right away it's a 10; it's a balance of watching the impossible unfold, and a miracle at the same time. That's what makes surfing so insane in Tahiti is the balance of these miraculous moments where you're going, “I can't believe that just happened!” It's unpredictable which keeps you on the edge of your seat. I think always for viewers, what might be the favorite sometimes is the wipeouts that people survive. You walk away from the TV and you go, “I can't believe they just went through that.”
Do you have any predictions for the competition?
On the men's side, if there's a final with Gabriel Medina of Brazil versus John John Florence for the USA, the entire surfing community would go, “Yep, here we go. This makes sense.” For all they’ve done for pro surfing, those two in the final for gold would just be a treat. That’d be everything that they deserve and earned; and I think everyone would go crazy if a gold medal was on the line and it was 10-foot waves. I still think Medina is the guy to beat, so he'd be the favorite for gold in that one. Then on the women's side, if the swell is really strong, you can't go past Vahine Fierro with her local [knowledge]. She lives right there close to the wave. She has so much experience. So, I'm seeing her making the final as well. And I think the Cinderella story that everyone is kind of trying to will to happen is for Carissa Moore to be in the final to see if she can back up her gold medal. For her to be against the local, Vahine Fierro, in that final, and then have Carissa go two in a row.
The first round of the Olympic surfing competition is scheduled to begin tomorrow, July 27. See the article below for full instructions of when and how to watch the men's and women's contests in their entireties.