Florence, Igarashi, Moore and Gilmore headline surfing at Olympics
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Olympic surfers locked and loaded.
The names of the 40 athletes who will be surfing at the sports Olympic debut in Tokyo have been confirmed.
A field of 20 women and 20 men will represent 17 different nations and compete for surfing’s first Olympic gold medals in 2021.
The qualification process has been challenging, creating joy and elation for some, heartbreak for others.
For many it came down to the wire in El Salvador during the first weekend of June, where the final 12 tickets to Tokyo were awarded at the 2021 ISA World Surfing Games.
So, who made the cut for surfing’s biggest international event in history? And who should you be looking out for at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? We break it down.
Get to know the Olympic surfing teams
Six teams have the maximum number of 4 surfers representing their nation.
With no shortage of support and star studded skill, odds are high that surfing’s first ever Olympic medal winners, could come from these nations.
Brazil are looking fierce and fired up. Two-time world champion Gabriel Medina is surfing with a new kind of freedom and enjoyment that seems to have made him more lethal. He’s made four out of five finals to kick off the 2021 World Surf League (WST) men’s season. Two of those of have been victories.
Gabriel Medina, a surfer with ‘a special heart’
Reigning men’s world champion Italo Ferreira has not been shy in showing his form. With one Championship Tour (CT) win under his belt this year, there’s a sense he’s just warming up.
Keep in mind that the conditions of the Olympic surfing venue at Tsurigasaki Beach are expected to suit the style and flair of the Brazilian men, with their gravity defying aerial maneuvers. With their abilities in the air, they’ll be both entertaining and hard to beat.
The Brazilian team also includes Tatiana Weston-Webb, coming off a recent women’s CT win in Australia, and 36-year-old veteran professional Silvana Lima, whose experience will come in handy in Japan.
Team USA are stacked with talent and will be looking for the one-two punch, gold medal double. There’s no question that they are capable of it, with a quartet of surfers who were all on the verge of qualifying prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Leading the American charge is four-time world champion Carissa Moore. She’s had an impressive start to 2021 with one CT victory under her belt, as well displaying some some jaw dropping aerial action, pushing the progression of women’s surfing with innovative moves above the lip of the wave, in the air.
Moore is joined by Caroline Marks, who at 19 years of age is making a name for herself and is a star on the rise. Her best is yet to come, and there’s every reason she could shine in Tokyo. The teen has a strong and explosive style of riding which makes her a threat in smaller conditions which are anticipated at the Games.
Two-time men’s World Champion John John Florence is one many will be eagerly anticipating seeing in action. The 28-year-old USA surfer specialises in…
Read More: Florence, Igarashi, Moore and Gilmore headline surfing at Olympics 2023-03-16 07:00:00