TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti — Surfers sprinted down barrel-shaped waves in Tahiti on Saturday in their quest for gold, while some of the sport’s biggest names lined up on their boards in the ocean.
“I woke up this morning with a tummy full of excitement and a little bit of nerves,” said French Polynesian surfer Vahine Pierrot. “But as soon as I got in the water I felt really comfortable.”
Despite no competitors being eliminated in the first round, the surfers gave it their all in the 30-minute qualifying session, which created excitement for what was to come in the next few days of competition.
Wave sets were rare early in the morning men’s round, leaving some competitors feeling a bit stuck and slow.
“As a competitor, I feel like there’s not enough room in the water for three people,” said Kanoa Igarashi, Japan’s silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, who finished last in Saturday’s qualifying. “There’s not enough waves for everyone.”
However, throughout the men’s preliminaries and the women’s race, waves grew larger and more regular.
“I think the waves are building up a little bit. I think there are a couple of bigger sets. It’s just going to get better throughout the day,” said Caroline Marks from the United States after taking first place in qualifying. “It’s just nature working that way.”
Many surfers said they viewed the first round as an opportunity to review their performance and prepare for the next round. Once the next round begins, surfers start to drop out of the competition.
“I’m probably going to go back and settle in and watch the footage and do a little more analysis of my heat,” said New Zealander Billy Stearmand after he reached shore, where he finished last in his heat. “I’ll reset and go back in tomorrow.”
Others said they planned to take a more relaxed approach to the rest of the competition.
“All the hard work is done, so just relax, have fun, recharge and feel good,” said Griffin Colapinto of the United States, who took first place in the preliminary round.
Close to the waves, jet skis and boats ferried surf officials, safety patrollers and journalists to get a closer look at the competitors surfing the waves.
In the minutes before the start of the race, surfers were transported by jet ski to the competitors’ boats, where they wore red, blue or green jerseys to better identify them to the judges and viewers while competing. Some surfers wore helmets to prevent injuries from falling into the shallow, rugged coral near the waves.
The judges presented ride scores and updates on the newly built observation deck, which had previously been criticized by environmental groups and whose size organizers scaled back from the original blueprints to address concerns.
Each round consists of heats, where surfers attempt to lock the two highest-scoring waves. Each run can earn up to 10 points, for a total heat score of 20. The judges score each wave ride based on factors including difficulty, maneuverability, speed, and flow.
The Paris Olympic surfing competition is divided into six rounds: Rounds 1 through 3, then the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.
The first round on Saturday consisted of eight heats with three surfers each. The winner of each heat would advance directly to round three, while the other two would advance to round two. Round two would consist of eight heats with two surfers each, with the winner advancing to round three and the loser being eliminated.
From Round 3 onwards, the competition will function as a single-elimination, head-to-head bracket. Each heat will feature two surfers, with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser being eliminated. The losers of the two semifinal heats will compete in a bronze medal match.
In the men’s first round, USA’s Colapinto and John John Florence, Brazil’s Joao Chianca and Gabriel Medina, Australia’s Ethan Ewing, France’s Joan Duru, Peru’s Alonso Correa and Japan’s Leo Inaba will advance directly to the third round.
In the women’s division, USA’s Caroline Marks, Carissa Moore and Kaitlyn Simmers, France’s Pierrot, Australia’s Tyler Wright, Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy, Brazil’s Luana Silva and Spain’s Nadia Aerostarve will advance directly to the third round.
The next match date will be decided after officials assess wave conditions early in the morning.
___
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
