Here’s what you need to know about surfing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
When did surfing become an Olympic sport?
The history of surfing dates back to the 12th century, but it has never been an Olympic sport until the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Although the waves outside Tokyo were rough and unpredictable and less than ideal, the athletes still entertained the fans with some breathtaking aerial feats. The Paris event will feature barrel riding in Tahiti’s Choupo.
How does Olympic surfing work?
The men’s and women’s competitions will each have six rounds. The first round will have eight heats, with three surfers per heat, lasting between 20 and 35 minutes depending on surfing conditions. They will then compete head-to-head until the semi-finals, where the winners will compete for gold and silver medals, and the losers for the bronze medal.
2024 Olympic Medals: Who is leading the medal count? Let’s track the medals in each sport to find out.
Each ride is scored by five judges and the lowest and highest scores are eliminated. The final score is the average of the remaining three judges’ scores. The top two rides per heat are added together to determine the overall score. A perfect ride is worth 10 points, a perfect heat is worth 20 points. There is no limit to the number of waves a surfer can ride.
There were 48 surfers, 24 women and 24 men.
Who are the top surfers on the U.S. team in surfing?
Carissa Moore, the defending Olympic champion in the women’s division, will be the sentimental favorite to win, as this will be her final tournament before she temporarily retires at age 31. Chasing her will be American Caroline Marks, who won the 2023 World Surf League (WSL) Women’s World Tour Championship, and 18-year-old Kaitlyn Simmers, who is No. 1 in the WSL rankings.
On the men’s side, John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto are at the top of the WSL rankings.
What is the state of surfing internationally?
In May, France’s Vahine Fierro won the women’s World Surf League event in Teaupo, where she lives and trains. On the men’s side, the Brazilians are the obvious bet: they have won the last five World Surf League men’s championships, so it’s no surprise that Brazil’s Italo Ferreira won gold in his first Olympic appearance in surfing.