Joy and disappointment after Tahiti surfing qualifying for Paris Olympics

2024-07-29 04:22:02

TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti (AP) —

Reactions of contrasting joy and disappointment were evident on the faces of surfers who came ashore after the elimination round of the Paris Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti on Sunday.

“Today is the first day of real competition,” said France’s Johanne Defay, who beat Australia’s Molly Picklum in the morning warm-up. “It’s a make-or-break thing for every athlete.”

On the second day of competition, men and women competed in eight preliminary rounds between two surfers, with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser being eliminated from the Paris Olympic medals.

The women’s preliminaries took place first on a rainy and windy morning. The waves were noticeably smaller and there were fewer barrels compared to the first day of competition.

These conditions favor some surfers who are inexperienced in the larger, heavier waves Te Ahubao is famous for.

“There weren’t many barrels today, so the coach asked me to make some adjustments,” the youngest athlete in the competition, 15-year-old Yang Siqi of China, said after beating Peruvian Sol Aguirre. “I never felt fear, only excitement.”

When the team members began their preliminaries at noon, the sun was already out, the wind was still strong, and a “lack of conditions” resulted in some preliminaries requiring extra time. But surfers still managed to score big in barrel waves.

Notably absent from the second round, the U.S. Surfing Team won their preliminary round on the first day of competition and advanced directly to the third round.

Despite missing out on a chance to win gold, some athletes expressed gratitude for surfing’s inclusion in the Olympics.

“It’s great for us surfers to be able to showcase our sport more and get more attention and show people that it’s not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle,” said the first representative said Camilla Kemp, a German Olympic surfer.

The Paris Olympics is the second time surfing has been included as an Olympic event after the Tokyo Olympics.

Women’s group: Ms. Yang of China, Sarah Baum of South Africa, Shino Matsuda of Japan, Defay of France, Taina Hinkel and Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil, Yokohama of Portugal Randa Hopkins and Israel’s Anat Leliol won their heats and qualified for the next round.

In the men’s competition, Japan’s Igarashi and Connor O’Leary, South Africa’s Jody Smith, France’s Cauley Wast, Morocco’s Ramzi Bukiam, Mexico’s Alain Clay Lan Quiñones, Australian player Jack Robinson and Brazilian player Felipe Toledo won the preliminary round and advanced to the third round.

From now on, the competition will be played in a direct knockout format. Each heat will feature two surfers, with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser eliminated. The losers of the two semi-final series will compete in the bronze medal match.

The next day’s racing will be determined after officials assess wave conditions.

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