Paris Olympics Bound Carissa Moore Recalls Horrors of Being “Depressed” After Winning Third World Title

Five-time world champion Carissa Moore might retire from professional surfing following the 2024 Paris Olympics. This decision means her fans could witness her last performance on the grand stage this summer. As she gears up for Paris, she reflects on a loud chapter in her career. Following her third world title win, Moore found herself grappling with unexpected challenges, facing a period of profound depression.

In a recent episode of Hoda Kotb’s “Making Space“ podcast, 31-year-old Moore discussed her Olympic victory, recovery from a challenging period after her third world title, and her choice to step back from professional competition in which she said, “I had just won my third world title, And I. Don’t know. I never went into this whole thing being like, Hey, I wanna win this many. Yeah. Yeah. I won my first And I got to the top of the mountain.“ 

Carissa Moore was asked when she felt she was going through the motions and lacking passion and purpose in her surfing career, she replied, “Without that, I don’t know. The joy went with it. And I had just gotten married.” She expressed that the issues she faced in her surfing performance affected her personal life, leading her to realize that changes were necessary.

Despite being a prodigy since the beginning of her professional career, Moore faced mental struggles after her success. “I was like, OK, well, how many more of these things do I need?…..OK, well, I don’t know what else to do with myself,'” she continued. During a rock-bottom moment in her career, Carissa Moore experienced challenges as she said, “I hit kind of a rock-bottom moment where I was pretty depressed. I was taking my losses really hard.” 

To cope with her struggles, Moore sought support from a psychologist. She also started journaling and meditation and concentrated on cultivating positive self-talk. She said, “Working on the way that I talk to myself, the conversations in my head, it doesn’t ever stop”, “It’s like it’s a constant work in progress.” The ‘intimidating’ challenge of defending her Olympic gold looms ahead for Moore as she navigates her journey with resilience and determination.

Navigating challenges, embracing triumphs on the road to Paris

Carissa Moore’s love affair with the ocean started at the age of five when riding the waves of Waikiki with her father. Excelling at NSSA Junior Surf, she got the top spot at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships, and from there, she didn’t stop. She made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, making history by winning the first-ever gold medal in surfing. Now, after her outstanding achievements and coping with all her struggles, Carissa plans to compete in the Paris Olympics in 2024. This event will be held at Teahupo’o in Tahiti. The waves shape formidable cylinders above the rugged reef, offering minimal room for mistakes. 

She said on Red Bull Channel, “It’s going to be definitely interesting. Teahupo’o obviously has the potential to be an incredible surf contest. If someone who doesn’t know anything about surfing tuned in and saw firing Teahupo’o, they’d be like, ‘Wow, this looks amazing’. It could be really good. We’ll just have to see how the waves are. Hopefully, it’s really fun. That’d be really cool.“ 

What do you think? Will she be able to sign off with a good end? Stay tuned.