Teahupo’o turned on and, at times, bared her teeth.
Monday, June 29, will be remembered as an unforgettable day in surfing competition. The world’s top surfers faced off in Round 3 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with their chances to advance—or end their Olympic dreams—on the line in French Tahiti.
In Round 3, 16 surfers competed in eight heats in a challenging head-to-head format, where only one from each heat could advance.
The conditions were unpredictable, with Mother Nature playing a significant role. Surfers dealt with fluctuating conditions—ranging from light winds and clean waves to massive barrels and unfavorable winds. By the final heat, the conditions had deteriorated further. The women’s Round 3 competition was postponed due to worsening wind and rain.
The eight men advancing to the quarter-finals are Peru’s Alonso Correa, Japan’s Inaba Reo, France’s Kauli Vaast and Joan Duru, Brazil’s Gabriel Medina and João Chianca, and Australia’s Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing.
Notably missing from this list are top Championship Tour surfers Team USA’s John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto, two-time world champion Filipe Toledo from Brazil, and Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist Kanoa Igarashi from Japan, among others.
A special mention goes to the Teahupo’o water safety professionals, who skillfully navigated the challenging waves on jet skis to ensure the competitors’ safety.
The eight surfers advancing today will face each other in the quarter-finals, aiming to move on to the semifinals and eventually compete for bronze and gold medals.
Heat 1: Alonso Correa advances over Jordy Smith
In the first three minutes of Heat 1, there were already three impressive barrels ridden—each larger and more powerful than anything seen in the earlier rounds, setting the stage for an unforgettable day of Olympic surfing.
Peru’s Correa made a strong start against South Africa’s Smith, earning a 6.50 with a vertical tube ride right from the moment he took off. However, it was Correa’s third wave that secured his victory. He executed a stunning standup tube ride, maneuvering from behind the foam ball and driving across the reef to a flawless exit, earning an 8.50 and a total score of 15.00.
Smith countered with a 5.90 for an air-drop into a barrel and added a 6.30 for another barrel ride, ending with a cumulative score of 12.20.
Heat 2: Inaba Reo advances over Filipe Toledo
Although the scores may not fully capture it, Heat 2 was packed with drama. Both surfers experienced severe wipeouts, with some even breaking their surfboards in the challenging conditions. The water patrol was crucial, using jet skis to ensure the surfers’ safety. Japan’s Inaba advanced to the quarter-finals with a combined two-wave score of 6.00, narrowly beating Brazil’s two-time world champion and standout from Round 2, Toledo, who scored 2.46.
Heat 3: Kauli Vaast advances over Griffin Colapinto
Team USA’s Colapinto seemed set to win Heat 3 against French surfer and Teahupo’o local Vaast, having navigated several impressive barrels. However, with just six minutes remaining and in need of a second scoring wave, Vaast, who had been patiently waiting, caught one of the day’s biggest and most cavernous tubes. He surfed it flawlessly, earning a wave score of 7.77 and a combined total of 15.10. Colapinto concluded his Olympic campaign with a total score of 13.83.
Heat 4: Joan Duru advances over Alan Cleland
Heat 4 lived up to expectations. France’s Duru and Mexico’s Cleland battled fiercely like prize fighters in the flawless, pumping surf, continuously raising their wave scores.
In the end, Duru advanced with scores of 9.10 and 9.03, totaling 18.13. The highlight of the heat was Duru’s best wave, where he expertly maneuvered inside a wide-open 10-foot tube, coming from behind the foam ball to cleanly exit onto the shoulder of the wave. At the same time, Cleland’s total score of 15.17 ranked among the highest in Round 3 up to that point.
Heat 5: Gabriel Medina advances over Kanoa Igarashi
Three-time world champion Gabriel Medina from Brazil displayed total commitment in Heat 5. Amidst a heat full of dramatic wipeouts and expansive barrels, Medina demonstrated his champion prowess by earning the highest single-wave score of the competition. The goofy-footed surfer skillfully maneuvered through a tube so spacious it looked like it could fit a car inside. He disappeared behind the wave’s curtain for so long that his exit appeared impossible. However, he emerged triumphantly, signaling to the judges with enthusiasm that his ride was a perfect 10. Medina received a score of 9.90 and later added a 7.50. His total heat score of 17.40 surpassed Japan’s Igarashi’s two-wave score of 7.04, ending the Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist’s Olympic journey.
