Kauli Vaast celebrates after his successful performance in the final
Image: Keystone
The 22-year-old Frenchman Kauli Vaast grew up in Teahupo'o, where he has now secured Olympic gold with aplomb
Image: Keystone
Kauli Vaast shows the Olympic gold medal he won on the podium, the 13th for host nation France at these Summer Games
Image: Keystone
Caroline Marks from the USA won the gold medal in the women's event
Image: Keystone
Caroline Marks beat Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb in the final
Image: Keystone
Kauli Vaast celebrates after his successful performance in the final
Image: Keystone
The 22-year-old Frenchman Kauli Vaast grew up in Teahupo'o, where he has now secured Olympic gold with aplomb
Image: Keystone
Kauli Vaast shows the Olympic gold medal he won on the podium, the 13th for host nation France at these Summer Games
Image: Keystone
Caroline Marks from the USA won the gold medal in the women's event
Image: Keystone
Caroline Marks beat Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb in the final
Image: Keystone
Tahitian-born Frenchman Kauli Vaast has won gold in surfing with a near-perfect performance in Teahupo'o on Tahiti.
06.08.2024, 09:36
06.08.2024, 10:37
SDA
Vaast, who grew up in the surfing mecca on the Pacific island 15,000 kilometers from Paris, caught the waves best on the final day. The 22-year-old local hero, who sported a mullet/mohawk haircut from his younger brother, was the first to ride through a long, deep tube and scored 9.5 out of 10 points.
This drew cheers from the spectator boats and a small fan zone. Later, Vaast managed another excellent score for some sharp turns, giving him a very high total of 17.67 points and a clear victory ahead of Australia's Jack Robinson.
Gold favorite Gabriel Medina from Brazil was defeated by Robinson in the semi-final, in which he found too few usable waves. Medina's jubilation after a successful wave ride in the quarter-finals was captured in one of the most iconic photos of these summer games. In the final, there was another unusual image to marvel at: a whale leapt out of the Pacific Ocean behind the surfers.
American world champion Caroline Marks took the gold medal in the women's event. Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb won silver and Johanne Defay from France took bronze.
