Olympic Surfing Preview: Tahiti Pro Foreshadows Paris 2024 Games at Teahupo’o

Ahead of Paris 2024, and surfing’s second Olympic appearance going down 10,000 miles away from the Arc de Triomphe in the sleepy, yet aquatically thunderous, Tahitian town of Teahupo’o, a lip-smacking apéritif was recently swigged before the main course.

The 2024 Shiseido Tahiti Pro, stop number six on this season’s World Surf League Championship Tour, wrapped in monumental fashion on May 30th with some of the best waves in competition in recent memory. Perfect 10s on both the men’s and women’s side of the event, eight-to-12 foot tubes unloading on the reef, underdogs, local wildcards, danger, excitement, all of it.

It was a spectacle. One deserving of the Big Stage. And what’s bigger than the Olympics?

So, let’s consider the Tahiti Pro a preview for the upcoming main event, which will take place at Teahupo’o over the course of four days between July 27th and August 4th. And from the Tahiti Pro, perhaps there are some indications of what’s to come for Paris 2024. What did we learn? What can we glean? What can we expect? And who’s looking good to take home gold? Let’s dive in.

Related: Olympic Surfing 101: Everything to Know Before Paris 2024

Historic Performances from the Women

Ever since the kickoff event of the 2024 CT season, the Lexus Pipe Pro, the women have made a statement when it comes to waves of consequence. We’re here, we’re ready to charge, and it’s about damn time that we’ve been given the opportunity (and recognition) to do so. The Tahiti Pro pushed that progression to new heights, as Finals Day of the event saw historic charging, game-changing performances, and a new bar being set in the realm of big, heavy surf.

Particularly, a trio of top performers – Tatiana Weston-Webb, Brisa Hennessy, and Vahine Fierro – who will all be competing in the upcoming Olympics, stole the show on Finals Day.

“It’s really scary out there, but I just was so grateful to have the opportunity,” said Weston-Webb, who locked in a 10-point ride in the Semis. “Like, how often do we get these conditions? Especially for females? I feel like the women’s sport is evolving so much, especially in surfing and the WSL is giving us that platform. And I just feel really grateful for that. And obviously, we have the Olympics coming up, and it’s a really big goal of mine to do pretty well there.”

Expect to see these three as major contenders for the gold medal, come the Olympics. But don’t count out Carissa Moore, Caitlin Simmers, Molly Picklum, Caroline Marks, and others.

Related: Vahine Fierro Wins Tahiti Pro in Historic, XL Conditions: ‘Best Waves of My Life’

Up for Grabs on the Men’s Side

The winner on the men’s side of the Tahiti Pro, Italo Ferreira, will not be competing (nor defending his Tokyo 2020 2021 gold medal) at Paris 2024. Instead, his fellow Brazilian countrymen João Chianca, Filipe Toledo, and Gabriel Medina will be repping the yellow and green flag. And Medina was the only one out of the three to compete at the Tahiti Pro, which he did for most of the event as the one to beat, including a near-perfect heat in the Round of 16.

Based off the Tahiti Pro, the other clear and obvious standout was John John Florence. Although he lost to Italo in the final, the Hawaiian reiterated with resounding authority his dominance in throaty, lefthand reefbreak tubes. Look up “pig-dog” in the dictionary, and good chance you’ll see John at Pipe, or Chopes, or Cloudbreak. Then, there’s John’s mental state. He’s a new dad and, while he took the number one spot on the CT rankings following Tahiti, his enthusiasm for hunting world titles seems to be on the decline. The only thing left to win is a gold medal.

“Surfing today and getting to surf four heats today was great, and the waves were so fun,” JJF said after the event. “It was pumping out there and so beautiful. This is one of the most beautiful places in the world so to be out there and surf it with no one out and get big barrels and get worked and do the whole thing is amazing. Thank you to the Teahupo’o community, you are awesome. All the support we get in the channel and for having us every year, this is one of my favorite places in the world, thank you.”

Gabe vs. John in the Final at Paris 2024 would be a safe bet. But the field is stacked. Lest we forget about the Griffin Colapintos, the Jack Robinsons, the Kanoa Igarashis, and others also in the heat draw, also hungry as hell. And Ramzi Boukhiam? He did take out Slater, so…

Related: Perfect Heat? Nope. Gabriel Medina Almost Scores Two 10s at Teahupo’o (Video)

Local Knowledge

On the women’s side of the Tahiti Pro, despite the standout showings from Brisa and Tati, Vahine Fierro had a bullseye on her back from the jump. She has the most experience out there, she’s put in the time, and as a result, she has been deservedly dubbed the “Queen of Teahupo’o.”

The one thing she doesn’t have? Experience in the jersey. The tactical approach, the mid-heat mind games, the priority practice, etc. But if the waves are firing, like they were during the Tahiti Pro, none of that will matter. Vahine will be a top pick in pumping Teahupo’o no matter what.

On the men’s side, local Tahitian Mihimana Braye didn’t coast his way to the finals like Vahine. He was stopped in the Round of 16, understandably so, by John John Florence. And here’s the thing: Braye won’t be competing at Paris 2024. The only Tahitian on the men’s side of the draw will be Kauli Vaast – and he’s arguably one of the best tube-riders at Teahupo’o in the world. Like Fierro, Vaast could be an underdog upset to the big-name usual suspects in the Olympics.

Never underestimate the locals. Especially if it’s pumping.

Related: Italo Ferreira Claims 2024 Tahiti Pro, Shakes Up ‘CT Rankings

The Forecast

Conditions at the 2024 Tahiti Pro were just about as good as it gets. But this CT season’s Teahupo’o shootout came much earlier than usual. The contest ran at the end of May – typically the start of primetime swell season for the South Pacific – when it usually runs around the middle of August. Historically speaking, running the event later in the season has usually resulted in reliable, flawless Teahupo’o conditions. Think: 2014 and 2016, both in August.

And the Olympics (July 27th to August 4th) will take place during that dependable swell window. Will the waves stack up like they have in the past, and like they did during the appetizer event, the Shiseido Tahiti Pro? Too far out to tell. But cross your fingers (and toes) in hopes that a proper, bombing swell graces the Olympic waiting period. Because if it does, it will go down as the biggest event, on the biggest stage, that surfing has ever seen. No pressure, of course.