(Reuters) – Australian surfer Connor O’Leary announced on Wednesday that he will be representing Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics, after switching his allegiance to his mother’s birth country last year. O’Leary, who hails from Cronulla in south Sydney, was given a spot on the Japan team by the Nippon Surfing Association. The team earned an extra slot by winning a qualification event in Huntington Beach in 2022. Typically, most teams are limited to two surfers of each gender for the Olympics.
O’Leary expressed his excitement on Instagram, saying, “So excited to officially announce that I will be representing Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Thank you to the NSA & the JOC for the incredible opportunity. Tahiti here we come.”
Known for his skill in heavy tubing waves, O’Leary, a powerful goofy-footer, is comfortable at sites like Teahupo’o in Tahiti, which is the venue for surfing in the Olympics. He joins the Japan team, which already includes Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi and Reo Inaba. Shino Matsuda is the lone woman to qualify for Japan for Paris 2024.
Despite finishing 11th on the professional world championship tour last year, O’Leary missed out on securing a spot on the Australian Olympic team, with Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing earning the two men’s spots. O’Leary, who speaks Japanese and has been showcasing Japan on his competition shirt for years, currently holds the fifth rank on the world tour after strong performances in the first two events in Hawaii.
In his announcement of switching allegiance in 2023, O’Leary reflected on his upbringing in Cronulla, where he admitted to sometimes ignoring his Japanese heritage in favor of fitting in with Australian culture. He shared with SBS Japanese last year, “As I have grown older, I’ve matured and realised being multicultural is something so special. How cool is it to be Australian but also Japanese, and I just want to highlight that.”
Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry
