TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti (Reuters) – Reigning Olympic champion Carissa Moore said she was “stoked” just to be a surfer after the Paris Games venue in Tahiti showcased a perfect day of wave-riding to the world’s biggest sports audience.
Teahupo’o, which translates as “Wall of Skulls”, started the surfing event nicely enough on Saturday but turned the dial up to a 10 on Monday, with some of the best conditions ever seen in competition.
“I don’t think as surfers we could have asked for more in the first few days of this Olympic Games – it really showed what this wave can do and what the surfers can do,” the American told Reuters after surfing with some local kids and a handful of pros at a playful beachbreak near the main event site.
“It also just showed how much skill you have to have as a surfer, as an athlete. Not only the commitment and the fearless factor, but the endurance and then like – you know, you’re getting saved.
“There’s like the very real factor of getting seriously injured. I don’t know many other sports where you’re actually getting saved on the field of play like quite like that.”
While successful rides ended with surfers being spat out of giant tubes into a flotilla of media and spectator boats, those who wiped out were swiftly picked up by water patrol experts on jet skis and sped back to the line-up.
“Those guys were able to push themselves like they did because those (rescue) guys were coming in so quick. It was super impressive,” she added.
The event was postponed before women’s competition could get underway on Monday as a storm tore the lineup to shreds and a lay day, or rest day, was called for Tuesday due to conditions.
Moore said the defeats suffered by fellow Team USA surfers John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto in the men’s round three were heartbreaking, but the team held an appreciation on Monday night as everyone digested the historic day.
“They were great sports last night. They’ve been encouraging of the women on the team and kind of passed on the good energy for us,” said Moore, who will take on South Africa’s Sarah Baum in round three when competition resumes, possibly on Wednesday.
“So yeah, it was a shame but they’re amazing – deep love for those two.”
Moore, gold medallist in surfing’s debut at the Tokyo Games, took the year off the professional world tour and is planning to take time off and may look to start a family once this event finishes.
On Monday, she was just a surf fan like everyone else.
“I was just really stoked to be a surfer yesterday. I mean, I’m biased, but this has to be the coolest sport in the Olympics, especially here.”
(Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Tahiti; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
