TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti — Team USA surfers Griffin Colapinto and John John Florence faced formidable challenges from both the competition and the elements during Round 3 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 surfing event. Despite their best efforts, neither was able to advance, marking the end of their Olympic journeys.
The day began with the powerful surf that Teahupo’o is famous for, but deteriorating conditions forced officials to halt the competition as the last men’s heats were underway.
Competing on his birthday, Colapinto started strong in Heat 3 with impressive scores of 6.33 and 7.50, putting him ahead of local favorite Kauli Vaast of France. However, Vaast made a comeback with a 7.77 wave, adding to his earlier 6.33 score. As the heat concluded, Colapinto couldn’t find the waves needed to respond, finishing with a score of 13.83 against Vaast’s 15.10.
“I felt really good in the heat,” Colapinto reflected. “I felt that it could totally go my way at any point, and for the first half of the heat, it was going my way. And then there was that wave that Kauli got, and he got the score…Every event I’ve done here in the last three to four years I’ve come up against the local wildcard or the local surfer in that round. It’s the craziest role…I’m really close to beating them every time, but I still haven’t gotten over the hurdle. So, you know, one day. I’m only 26, I’ve got many more years.”
In one of the most anticipated heats of the day, Florence faced off against Australia’s Jack Robinson in Heat 7. Both surfers struggled initially, with their first waves collapsing and resulting in scores below 2.0. The tide began to turn on their third waves, with Robinson scoring a 7.17 and Florence a 6.50. Robinson continued to find favorable waves, finishing with a score of 13.94, while Florence ended with a final score of 9.07 after a last-second ride scored 2.57.
“The second half of the draw is very heavy loaded,” Florence commented. “I’m not sure how or why that happened. But to actually come up against Jack this early on, one of us is gonna win and one is going to lose today. It was hard. Today was a scary day out there. There is so much wind…when it’s like that there is so much power and energy in it. I imagine it’s one of the scarier sports.”
The women’s Round 3 competition is set to continue tomorrow, conditions permitting.
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