Who Is Siqi Yang? Meet China’s First-Ever Olympic Surfer.

When Siqi Yang strutted onto the beach at Teahupo’o, Tahiti following her Elimination Round victory over Peru’s Sol Aguirre during the Paris 2024 Olympics, she was beaming with a smile on her face bigger than the Phryge – the anthropomorphic, somewhat confounding, absolutely cartoonish, bright rouge mascot for the Games.

“I am so happy to be in the Olympics,” Yang told SURFER. “The waves are so good here. It’s super big. I like it here, because it’s so beautiful.”

After being asked if she was nervous, or intimidated, by the notoriously dangerous waves at Teahupo’o, Yang, still smiling ear-to-ear, replied in her broken English:

“No…well, maybe just a little bit.”

Yang, who is the youngest Olympic surfer in Paris 2024 and the first-ever surfer to represent China, grew up in the landlocked Sichuan Province. As a kid, Yang wanted to take up a sport. First, she thought taekwondo; then, although she was afraid of the water from her mountainous upbringing, she tried sailing. But once she saw the waves on Hainan Island – one of China’s premier surfing zones – it was all over. Surfing became her primary focus. And with surfing entering the Olympics at Tokyo 2020 2021, she had the backing of the Chinese government.

She started training, traveling to different regions for experience, and competing. Eventually, from a solid result at the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico, she qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics. And that’s where she finds herself now, facing an international field of some of the world’s best surfers, at one of the world’s heaviest waves, going for gold.

But unlike many of the other competitors, Yang had never surfed Teahupo’o before coming to the Olympics. And yet, despite her lack of on-site experience, Yang has been winning heats and sending herself over the ledge with a surprising shortage of hesitation or fear.

“When I first saw this wave, I was very eager to go surf it,” she told SURFER. “I’ve never surfed here before. I arrived about 10 days before the event, and that was all the time I had to practice out at Teahupo’o. Not much practice to get super comfortable with a wave like Teahupo’o.”

Going into the Olympics, Yang was widely considered an underdog. Compared to other well-known surfers on the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, she was somewhat of a wildcard, an as-of-yet anonymous entity in the world of surf and beyond. But from her performances, in the competitive jersey and out, she’s been garnering support and fandom from big names.

“She’s been so inspirational for me,” said Kanoa Igarashi, who is representing Japan in the Paris 2024 Olympics. “I really draw a lot of inspiration from her. She’s been charging so hard in the free surf sessions. I get goosebumps just talking about her. You can really see her passion for the sport, and how much she’s put into this. I think she has a big future.”

Igarashi added:

“There aren’t many Asian surfers on Tour, so I want to support her as much as I can. I’m going to be cheering for her for the rest of her career.”

Regarding her career, it’s clearly just beginning. And what a way to start with being on the biggest stage possible, the Olympics. So, for now, that’s the focus for Yang:

“Right now, my goal is to get the gold medal, of course. I also want to get onto the Championship Tour one day.”

But after the Olympics, don’t be surprised to continue seeing Yang in the competitive surfing world. And not just her; with Yang leading the charge, there’s a new wave of Chinese competitive surfers on the horizon, too. Yang is just the first pulse, but there’s a sizable swell looming.

“Since surfing made it into the Olympics, the sport has become a bigger priority in China,” Yang said. “We are getting the opportunity to train more, and especially overseas. There will be more pro surfers coming out of China in the future, I guarantee it.”