VIDEO. In Tahiti, the small village of Teahupo’o is jubilant after the gold medal of Tahitian surfer Kauli Vaast

Kauli Vaast won Olympic gold at home in Tahiti. MAXPPP – FAZRY ISMAIL

The small village of Teahupo’o, on the Tahiti Peninsula, let its joy explode after the triumph of its hero Kauli Vaast, the first French Olympic surfing champion, but also the first Tahitian Olympic champion, all disciplines combined.

"The mana (supernatural force in Polynesian culture, editor's note)was with me from the beginning, every day I felt it, I didn't see it but I felt it, and there it was, I did it: Olympic champion!”, Vaast said.

“As soon as the first two waves were taken, we were all there blowing so that there would be no more and it worked”, joked Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson after the final.

Kauli Vaast's mother, Natou Thupalua, was gardening during the finals to ward off anxiety.

Kauli Vaast en or, et la Marseillaise pour couronner le tout 🥇 #JOPARIS2024 #surf #teahupoo pic.twitter.com/E3oNEc8mvC

— David MICHEL (@davidmichel_) August 6, 2024

“When he competes in Tahiti, I do the gardening, I planted anthuriums”, she said, relying on the shouts of the neighbors to know the results. “When I get home, I'm going to have to rake because she cut everything”, smiled the 22-year-old champion with a simple lifestyle, between surfing and underwater fishing.

The end of the village of Teahupo’o, reserved for people accredited for the duration of the events, was opened to the general public for the medal ceremony on the beach, a few hundred meters from the famous wave.

Several thousand Polynesians cheered their champion, but also the Reunion Islander Johanne Defay, bronze medalist, as well as the triple world champion Gabriel Medina. Fourth in Tokyo, he won his first Olympic medal in Teahupo’o.

Establishing surfing in the Olympic Games

Her aerial celebration, captured a week earlier by AFP photographer Jérôme Brouillet, is one of the most striking images of these Games. As are the jumps of a calf behind the surfers, during the last day of competition. The success of this edition, after timid waves in Tokyo, could contribute to establishing surfing as a permanent Olympic discipline.

This success is also that of the French team, with two medals including a title, despite fratricidal draws: the French Vahine Fierro and Joan Duru were eliminated by their own teammates. “This could be the start of something great for French surfing”, reacted the coach of the French team Jérémy Florès, who had competed in the Tokyo Games as a surfer.

#Paris2024 | 🔥🇫🇷 KAULI VAAST CHAMPION OLYMPIQUE DE SURF 🥇

🤩 Avec deux vagues magnifiques, le Français remporte sa finale à Tahiti et remporte la toute première médaille d'or olympique du surf français !

📺 Suivez le direct : https://t.co/kOJfhQ7QZO pic.twitter.com/bFAImmoype

— francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 6, 2024

With an American, a Brazilian, an Australian and a Frenchman, the four best surfing nations were represented in the finals.

Despite environmental controversies, at the end of 2023, linked to the installation of an aluminum judges' tower in the lagoon, the competition was well accepted by the Polynesians. It even generated fervor around the two Tahitian athletes, despite the elimination of the island's darling, Vahine Fierro, in the round of 16.

Read also: Surfing at the Paris 2024 Olympics: Tahitian Kauli Vaast Olympic champion at Teahupo'o, Johanne Defay wins bronze

The Teahupo'o wave was often long in coming: the surfing events scheduled for July 27 to 30 were extended until August 5, the last day of reserve. But the “Hava's jaw” lived up to its promise by generating spectacular images, “an extraordinary promotional operation” for local tourism, President Brotherson said.