TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti — Brazil’s Gabriel Medina powered through a giant blue barrel for the highest score of the Olympic surfing competition so far, but Tahiti’s Teahupo’o stole the show on Monday with some of the most incredible waves ever seen in competition.
The decision to hold the surfing event at the perfect reef pass of Teahupo’o proved inspired as a solid southwest swell rose and a forecasted storm held off just long enough to complete the men’s third round.
Teahupo’o, which loosely translates as “Wall of Skulls” after a gruesome local legend, really bared its teeth after two days of more user-friendly conditions.
Time after time, surfers paddled hard and threw themselves into the waves, which sucked below sea-level as they hit the reef.
Those that got it right were spat out of the fearsome tubes, shrouded in firehose blasts of spray. Horrendous wipeouts, broken boards and jetski rescues followed for those that got it wrong.
Brazil’s Gabriel Medina got the wave of the event so far in his round five heat against Japan’s Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Kanoa Igarashi, a 9.90 out of 10 that was if anything, underscored.
Taking off deep, Medina pumped through an enormous tube and signaled to the judges that he thought it was worth a 10 before flying into the channel. Most of those on the flotilla of boats and jetskis watching metres away screamed in agreement.
Medina backed it up with a 7.5 for a 17.4 points total to cement him as a favourite to win gold.
“I never imagined we could get waves like this in the Olympics,” said Medina. “I’m comfortable when the waves are good and as long as it’s like this, it’s good for everyone … Today was a good day for sure.”
Florence out
One heavyweight clash, John John Florence of the United States taking on Australia’s Jack Robinson, was brutal and tense rather than spectacular as both tube-riding maestros struggled to get the right waves.
“We didn’t get it easy. At the start of the heat, I got dragged over the bottom and then almost had a two-wave hold down,” said Robinson, who had been able to snatch a quick breath just before the next wave smashed him.
Robinson agreed surfing might be the most dangerous sport in the Olympics in conditions like these.
“Every other sport is in a court or a stadium, and we’re in the ocean, which is the biggest, most powerful source of life that we have on this planet,” he said.
“The wave is just so powerful. It doesn’t relate to any other sport, you know what I mean? Maybe an avalanche or something coming down on your head on a mountain. That’s similar … It’s so dangerous.”
‘Just insane’
Earlier, Tahiti’s Kauli Vaast, surfing for host nation France, eliminated American Griffin Colapinto.
“It was just perfect,” said Vaast, who has had more than his share of jaw-dropping waves at “The End of the Road” as Teahupo’o is also known.
“There are some 10-foot, perfect 10-foot (waves) coming up, offshore wind, two guys out, beautiful sunny days — just insane.”
Countryman Joan Duru, a veteran known for charging heavy waves, scored two 9-point rides to notch up the highest heat score of the competition so far, 18.13 out of 20.
Japan’s Reo Inaba knocked out Brazil’s two-time world champion Filipe Toledo, whose countryman Joao Chianca triumphed over Morocco’s Ramzi Boukhiam in the round’s highest combined scoring heat — 18.10 to 17.80.
“I’m really upset because I know that I could have brought gold for Morocco in these types of waves,” Boukhiam said. “It was possible, because I love this shit, man.”
Chianca almost died after a brutal beat-down in Hawaii last December, dragged unconscious from the water and missing this year’s professional tour.
“Joao is one of my really good friends and I’m really happy he’s alive and that we’re doing this,” Boukhiam said.
“And now look at us, fighting for a spot in the quarters, but in pumping waves, who would have thought? So that was really emotional. And I’m happy for the kid, you know, I’m happy for him.”
The women’s round three was scheduled to follow the men’s, but conditions quickly turned with howling winds and pouring rains lashing the lineup, forcing the competition on hold, probably for a couple of days.