The Tahitian beach of Teahupo’o was where the surfing champions of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games earned their hard-fought victories. Frenchman Kauli Vaast and American Caroline Marks became the gold medallists in a competition that was marked by adverse weather conditions until the final day.

The first to climb to the top of the podium was Vaast, who defeated Australian Jack Robinson in the final to give France its first title in this discipline. 

Vaast, born in Tahiti, finished his performance with 17.67 points, after scoring 9.50 on his best wave in his first attempt. This allowed him to establish himself as the clear winner over his rival, who took the silver medal with 7.83 points.

Before reaching the Olympic competition, the Frenchman's highest ambition was to be one of the best surfers in the world. In these Games, he progressed steadily, eliminating competitors like American Griffin Colapinto and compatriot Joan Duru along the way. 

Vaast had a long journey to gold, having to compete in every round of the event. "The dream has come true. I can't believe it right now, but I have just made history: for me, for all Tahitians, for Polynesia, and for France," said Vaast, adding that he had lost his voice from shouting to the local fans while taking his victory lap on a jet ski.

Meanwhile, Brazilian Gabriel Medina won the bronze after defeating Peruvian Alonso Correa. With a total of 15.54 points and a best wave of 7.77 on his fifth attempt, he clearly outperformed Correa, who finished with a score of 12.43 (6.83 + 5.60). Medina's triumph marks the 12th medal for his country at these Olympics.

In the women's category, it was the American Caroline Marks who took the gold after defeating Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb in the final. 

Marks completed her performance with 10.50 points, achieving a best wave of 7.5 on her second attempt. The victory over her rival was quite narrow, as Weston-Webb recorded 10.33 points.

With this first place in Paris 2024, Marks took the crown left vacant by Carissa Moore in Tokyo 2020. The current champion, who once said surfing was a family pastime, came to this competition aiming to improve her performance from the previous Games, where she finished fourth, and made it clear that her greatest ambition was to "win gold in Paris."

In the battle for the bronze medal, Frenchwoman Johanne Defay defeated Costa Rican Brisa Hennessy. Defay took third place with 12.66 points, securing a best wave of 6.83 on her sixth attempt. This clearly advantaged her over her rival, who finished with a modest score of 4.93 (3.00 + 1.93).

Medina's iconic photo

Gabriel Medina, nicknamed 'El Mago' (The Magician), came very close to the highest surfing score on Monday 29 July. The three-time World Champion (2014, 2018 and 2021) scored a 9.90, the highest score so far in the French competition, in his Round of 16 routine to win the third round key against Japan's Kanoa Igarashi.

It is also the highest score in the history of the Olympic Games, a competition in which surfing will appear for the second time after debuting at Tokyo 2020. 

Surfing is a sport that tends to produce picturesque moments and the most talked about part of his ominous performance was the photo taken by photographer Jerome Brouillet (AFP) as the Brazilian celebrated his victory. 

The gold medal favourite dazzled the crowd by riding the tubular wave almost perfectly, taking advantage of the big waves on the day. Knowing what he had done, Medina came out of the tube, raised both hands and spread his palms to signal to the judges to give him a 10, the top score.