On July 27th, the Paris Olympics surfing events officially began at Teahupo’o, Tahiti. The men kicked off Day 1 with the first round of qualifying heats. Spectators, organizers, and judges gathered on the beach and prepared for a day of high-octane surfing action on the unforgiving waves of Teahupo’o. However, the excitement reached new heights when the women started their heats on Day 2.

Competitors such as the USA’s John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto earned praise from fans on Day 1. However, reporters observed that every female athlete, regardless of their performance, drew cheers from both local and international fans in attendance. Among them, defending champion Carissa Moore took a moment to soak in the love and support coming her way.

During the post-event press conference, Team USA’s star surfer reflected on the progress the women in surfing have made thanks to the Olympics. “It’s awesome to see everyone pushing each other and motivating each other. This ‘Yes I can’ attitude, when you see someone else get a sick barrel or push their limit, it reminds you that you can do it too. It’s beautiful and rad and it’s only going to keep pushing woman’s surfing,” the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist told the press.

Moore felt glad that the Olympics brought more eyes to her sport, and how the last few years have seen massive change. “When I first started my pro career about 14 years ago there was a lot of discrepancies with men’s and women’s surfing and inequality…” added Carissa Moore. The 21-year-old claimed that women are now “performing just as well as the men, if not better!” than men.

The Olympic champion was right in her assessment. John John Florence posted the highest total score of 17.33 on Day 1. However, fellow U.S. surfer Caroline Marks surpassed the two-time world champion with a score of 17.93 on the judges’ scoresheet. Australian competitor Tyler Wright also echoed Moore’s sentiments.

Carissa Moore is helping create women’s surfing history

The surfer who made it round three on July 28th highlighted yet another discrepancy that existed as recently as 2022. The 30-year-old explained that the women competing at the iconic Teahupo’o “are on a steeper learning curve than the men.”  That’s because women didn’t start surfing at the coveted destination just two years ago. So Moore, Wright, and every woman who made it to Paris in 2024 are creating history.

On the flip side, Wright pointed out that the men have been surfing at Teahupo’o for at least 25 years. Like Carissa Moore, the Australian surfer believes that women have what it takes to rival men in surfing. With the WSL implementing equal pay, Wright is confident that Paris 2024 will mark the beginning of a new generation of women taking up surfing.