Carissa Moore and Italo Ferreira Win Surf Gold


ICHINOMIYA, Japan – Unstable waves at the inaugural Olympic surfing competition roared ashore on Tuesday. Tropical Storm Nepartak, leading competition organizers are trying to squeeze the quarterfinals, semi-finals and medal games into a busy day.

Many of the world’s best surfers have paddled in turbulent and unpredictable water just days after training on small, thigh-high waves in twos, head-to-head qualifying rounds.

One by one they showed up, either sent home or making their way to Olympic medals for the first time in their sport.

And two of the best surfers of the day, Carissa Moore of the United States and Italo Ferreira of Brazil, now the first person to win Olympic gold medals in the sport, swam through the foam.

Born and raised in Hawaii, four-time world champion Moore, 28, met with South African underdog Bianca Buitendag in the final game of the day at Tsurigasaki Surf Beach, about 60 miles east of Tokyo.

Moore marked his career with three victories in just over six hours on Tuesday. The final bell brought tears to her eyes and blew a kiss to the fans on the beach in the sunshine.

Buitendag, 27, had come through with a series of upsets, beating seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore in the third round and 19-year-old American Caroline Marks in the semi-finals. Although his journey had ended without arousing curiosity towards Moore, his consolation was a silver medal that few could have expected.

ferreiraThe 27-year-old 2019 world champion and one of Brazil’s army of surfing superstars has defeated Japan. Kanoa IgarashiHe is a 23-year-old Japanese-American born and raised in Southern California. He celebrated by standing on the knee-high surf, throwing his arms into the sky, then taking his face in his hands. It was carried to the beach on the shoulders of two members of the Brazilian contingent.

Ferreira was engulfed by a wave after a huge drop in the first minute of the men’s final. The first thing to come to the surface was half of the shard. On the beach he was handed a new board, and Ferreira soon got on a double score that gave him a clue he never gave up.

“One of the best days of my life,” Ferreira said. “It’s been a long day for me. It was a dream come true.”

Igarashi, 23, had already knocked out Brazilian superstar Gabriel Medina in the semi-finals. With just seven minutes left in the 30-minute heat, Igarashi put on 360-degree weather, earning 9.33, one of the Games’ highest-rated waves.

“The journey probably took about seven seconds, but it felt like 70 minutes,” Igarashi said immediately afterward. “I felt every little moment. I felt my heartbeat, I felt my hair in the wind, I felt I was in the air. And I had thoughts while I was in the air. It was a bit surreal, but as soon as I landed I knew it was one of the biggest moments of my career.”

At least he secured a silver medal.

Medina lost to Australian Owen Wright in the men’s bronze medal match. Growing on the waves on the surrounding beach, Japanese Amuro Tsuzuki defeated Marks to win the women’s bronze medal.

The sudden decision to pack so much surf into one day was made Monday night as storms broke off the east coast of central Japan and swelled towards Tsurigasaki Surf Beach. surfing unique timing, or lack thereof, initially the competition ended no earlier than Wednesday, but the wildest waves were determined to arrive a day early.

Two of the world’s best surfers, Igarashi and Kolohe Andino of the United States, set out in rain and wind at 7am for a senior quarterfinal. It was a bit like surfing in a washing machine, as sloppy stormsurfing was tough conditions for the competitors and a bit of a spectacle for the spectators. Igarashi advanced, spoiled Andino’s medal hopes.

If there was any concern about the erratic conditions, Medina has fully declared the race in the next heat. He launched a full spin towards the sky, landed softly to the ground, and pounded his chest in celebration. The judges were also impressed, giving them a 9.0, the competition’s highest score up to that point.

But clean rides were erratic. For most of the morning the sea was a choppy stew rather than a series of sets, better to watch than surf.

“The waves go really fast and then they just pour,” Moore said after the quarterfinal victory. “It’s kind of hard to place your maneuvers in this kind of surf.”

When Marks won the quarterfinals, he came out of the water to gauge the changing conditions, knowing there would be two more games to come.

Adaptation was crucial; warmed up on one board, then raced on another board. The tide was low, but it was coming back, and the movement was shifting northward along the quarter-mile coast. There was a lot of paddling and fatigue was a factor at the end of a long day.

“I’m having a lot of fun,” said Marks. “I’m here because I love to surf, and that’s cool.”

The Olympic field started with only 20 men and 20 women and no more than two from any country. Most of the pitch was set up before the pandemic, so five of the top 10 men and four of the top 10 women in the current World Surf League rankings did not participate.

Most glaringly, this left out Brazilian Filipe Toledo, who finished in the top four in each of the last four seasons. And Perhaps the most famous surfer Kelly Slater failed to protect one of the two US spots.

Concerns about the surfing conditions of the Olympics started when the host Tokyo was chosen and surfing was added to the list. The Pacific coast of Japan has long beaches and good surf, but many compare it to the East Coast of the United States, not to the big turquoise barrel spots in places like Hawaii or Australia. More Jersey Shore than North Shore.

There was even talk of keeping it in a wave pool, which would add certainty to the schedule and the waves. But the organizers were adamant that surfing is more than just riding. It requires studying the ocean by adapting to ever-changing conditions.

When Olympic surfers took a look at Tsurigasaki Beach for the first time last week, they encountered thigh-high surfers just a few strokes from the beach. It was easy to be a skeptic.

But the storm was approaching and came down hard.

Talia Minsberg contributing reporting.



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