Surf’s up! Paris Olympics surfing competition commences in Tahiti, with wave rides and wipe outs

TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti — Surfers rode through and wiped out on barrel-shaped waves in their quest for gold during the first day of the Paris Olympics surfing competition in Tahiti on Saturday, with some of the biggest names in the sport side-by-side on their boards in the ocean.

“This morning, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach of excitement and also a little bit nervous,” said French Polynesian surfer Vahine Fierro. “But once I touched the water, I felt really comfortable.”

Despite no competitors facing elimination in the first round, surfers gave their all during the 30-minute heats, providing a tantalizing preview of what could be in store in the competition in days to come.

Wave sets were sparse during the early part of the men’s round in the morning, making some competitors feel there was a tough, slow start.

“As a competitor you feel like there’s not enough space for three people in the water,” said Kanoa Igarashi from Japan, who won the men’s silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but placed last in his heat on Saturday. “There’s just not enough waves going around for everybody.”

But the swell picked up closer to the afternoon for the men’s heats and throughout the women’s, leading to more regular waves.

“I think the swells have been building a little bit — I feel like we’ve seen some bigger sets. Throughout the day it should just keep getting better,” said Caroline Marks, from the United States, after she placed first in her heat. “That’s just mother nature and how it works.”

Many surfers said they viewed the first round as an opportunity to review their performance and prepare for the next rounds, when surfers start being eliminated from the competition.

“I’ll probably go back and settle down, watch the footage and analyze my heat a bit more,” said Billy Stairmand from New Zealand, who placed last in his heat, after he came ashore. “I’ll reset and go in again tomorrow.”

Others said they plan to take a more laid-back approach to the rest of the competition.

“All the hard work is done already. So, it’s just like, relax, have fun, replenish, feel good,” said Griffin Colapinto from the United States, who placed first in his heat.

Near the wave, jet skis and boats carried surfing officials, safety patrol staff and media for a closer look as competitors rode waves.

In the minutes before the start of their heat, surfers were ferried on a jet ski to a competitor’s boat, where they put on a red, blue or green jersey to help judges and viewers better identify them while competing. Some surfers donned helmets to protect themselves from potential injuries from wiping out on the shallow, jagged coral near the wave.

Judges announced ride scores and updates from the newly constructed viewing tower, which previously garnered criticism from environmental groups and was downsized from original blueprints by organizers in an effort to address concerns.

Each round is made up of heats, with surfers looking to lock in their two highest-scoring waves. Each run can score up to 10 points for a possible 20-point heat total. A panel of judges scores each wave ride based on factors including degree of difficulty, maneuvers, speed and flow.

The Paris Olympic surfing competition features six rounds: Rounds one through three, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

Saturday’s first round consisted of eight heats of three surfers each. The winner of each heat advanced directly to round three, while the other two surfers will go to round two. In round two, there will be eight heats of two surfers, with the winner advancing to round three and the loser getting eliminated.

Starting with round three the competition functions as a single-elimination, head-to-head bracket. Each heat will feature two surfers, with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser getting eliminated. The losers of the two semifinal heats will compete in the bronze-medal match.

From the men’s round one competition, Colapinto and John John Florence from the U.S., Joao Chianca and Gabriel Medina from Brazil, Ethan Ewing from Australia, Joan Duru from France, Alonso Correa from Peru and Reo Inaba from Japan will advance directly to round three.

For the women’s: Caroline Marks, Carissa Moore and Caitlin Simmers from the U.S., Fierro from France, Tyler Wright from Australia, Brisa Hennessy from Costa Rica, Luana Silva from Brazil and Nadia Erostarbe from Spain will advance directly to round three.

The next competition day will be determined after officials assess wave conditions in the early morning.