Credit: USA Today
Whether you like it or not, action sports are now an integral part of the Olympic Competition. While mountain biking has been a mainstay of the Olympic Games since 1996, surfing and skateboarding were added during the 2021 Tokyo Games. While the opinions on whether these sports should or should not be included in the pinnacle of athletic competition vary significantly within each community, the Paris Olympics has proven that our sports have broad appeal, for better or worse. As a controversial finish dominated headlines in the mountain bike world, Tahiti pumps, and the world’s best skaters hit the podium, the world can’t seem to look away. Dive in below as we update you on all things action sports in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
US Men Fall Short as Teahupo’o Takes Center Stage
Day one of Olympic competition in Tahiti was dominated by the US, with John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto, Caroline Marks, and Carissa Moore proving the value of experience at the highest level. Day one’s conditions were moderate, clean Teahupo’o with 6-foot faces. Team USA looked poised and comfortable navigating the steep walls of Teahupo’o.
The second day at Teahupo’o was smaller and a bit choppy, but the world’s best still put on a show. Japan won the day, making the most of less-than-stellar conditions on the men’s and women’s sides. Jack Robinson and Felipe Toledo, however, likely had the best waves of the day, each finding a deep tube on one of the largest sets of the day.
Credit: Fox News
Day three of the competition cemented surfing as one of the most exciting Olympic events. Teahupo’o showed her teeth with 10-foot faces, and a bowling west swell rewarded only the most technically proficient tube rides. While John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto performed valiantly, each securing high scores on well-executed tube rides, they both fell to their respective competition. John John fell short to Australia’s Jack Robinson, and Colapinto was edged out by Teahupo’o local Kauli Vaast, surfing for France. Gabe Medina proved yet again that he is a force to be reckoned with in waves of consequence, putting on an absolute show during his heat and securing the highest score in Olympic surfing’s brief history, a 9.90. His near-perfect tube ride also resulted in a viral photo that sent surfing to the front page of Olympic news. The women’s round three is next in the water, with the men’s quarter-finals to follow.
Credit: AP News
England’s Tom Pidcock Wins Gold After a Dramatic Finish
Mountain Biking wrapped up over the weekend with Tom Pidcock defending his gold, battling back after a punctured tire to the top spot on the podium. American Riley Amos started the race well, immediately jumping out to second behind Alan Hatherly while defending gold medalist Pidcock brought up the rear of the group of 12. Throughout the race, Pidcock continued to improve his position before suffering a puncture to his front tire on lap four and falling to ninth. Pidcock once again fought his way back, and in the final kilometer of the race, with France’s Viktor Koretzky leading the pack, Pidcock took the inside line in the forest section. The two riders came together and touched slights, which caused Koretzky to unclip to avoid wiping out, and Pidcock took off. The Brit finished first with a time of 1:26:22 to jaunts and boos from the French crowd. Koretzky finished 9 seconds later to secure silver, and South Africa’s Alan Hatherly claimed bronze. While the crowd seemed dissatisfied with Pidcock’s winning move, Koretzky blamed only himself for the loss, saying “(There was) some gravel on the track, and I took some with my front wheel and I lost a part of the gap I had on Tom. I’m really disappointed, this mistake cost me the gold medal. In the woods, he overtook me and took my shoe off, it was difficult to do something at this moment.”
On the women’s side of competition, camaraderie amongst the riders prevailed as France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prevot took gold and American Haley Batten battled for silver. Batten had a rough start but eventually fought to third place on the descent. On the fourth lap of seven, Batten punctured her tire on the rock section and fell to eighth place. Batten raced back and trailed Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds in third place. In the home stretch, Batten was able to take second over Rissveds. Batten shed light on her silver finish and Rissveds’ surprising role in her success, saying, “I was so lucky that Jenny Rissveds was behind me,” Batten said. “The riders passed me on the jump when I had to take the b-line and she quickly shouted out to my mechanic, ‘Haley has a flat!’ So, he was ready… It shows how amazing our sport is and what an incredible athlete she is, and rider and person. [My mechanic] did the fastest wheel change ever.”
Credit: Newsbuzz 247
Age is Just a Number to the Top Skaters in the World
Street skateboarding events concluded over the weekend, with Japan and the US dominating the podium. The men’s final came down to the last minute, with Japan’s Yuto Horigonme securing the gold medal on his last trick of the event. The US’s Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston took silver and bronze. Huston and Eaton were comfortable in first and second following the street run portion of the contest and were clear crowd favorites after impressive, flawless performances. When it came to the best trick portion of the competition, Japan’s reigning gold medalist would not be denied. Climbing back from fourth place with an initial score of 94.16, Horigome Yuto put the pressure on the American duo, who responded with Huston’s 92.79 and 93.22 and Eaton’s 95.25. With one opportunity to overtake the top position on the podium, Horigome landed his trademark backside Nollie 270, which earned him a 97.08, securing gold.
Credit: The Spun
On the women’s side, the average age competitor age was just 15.8 years, which made the display of althetism and skill all the more impressive. Japan’s Coco Yoshizawa (age 14) and Liz Akama (age 15) took gold and silver, while Brazil’s Rayssa Leal (age 16) took home bronze. Coco Yoshizawa nailed a bigspin flip with a boardslide on her fourth attempt, which scored 96.49 to secure gold. While only 16 years old, Leal is a competition veteran and successfully podiumed, fighting her way from fifth place with a critical kickflip Smith grind to pump. There’s been a buzz of criticism surrounding the age of competitors in the women’s competition. Tony Hawk, who has been in Paris as a commentator, took to Instagram to share his thoughts, “There is a lot of focus on the age of skaters in the Olympics. And it is true, some of the top competitors are very young. But that is nothing new to our sport. What’s missing from the conversation is the fact that we can now continue to skate into our adult lives and still be considered relevant and/or innovative. For context: I turned pro when I was 14 years old, in 1982. Most of my peers were nearly the same age. The “elder” skaters during that era were in their late teens. And you were considered too old by the time you reached an age of responsibility. Mostly because there was no career to be made; skating was considered a hobby at best. Prize money was minimal ($100 for first place, for example) and sponsorships were for product only. In other words: skateboarding was not a career, so grow up and get a job. None of that discouraged us because we had found our passion and we knew we would never quit… even if we had to work 9-5 doing something else. As the industry grew and eventually sustained popularity, our generation continued to innovate. And now we are much older but still actively skating, which means the “pro” category now spans FOUR decades. Kids are starting to skate at a younger age because they are encouraged to do so, and they are learning advanced techniques because the knowledge and resources are available to them. We were not so fortunate – especially the few brave girls that dared to skate back then – but we persevered. None of this lessens the difficulty factor of modern skateboarding; we all stand on the shoulders of giants that came before us. It just happens that the giants are still around, enjoying the ride.”
It’s clear that action sports are leaving their mark on the Paris Olympic games, grabbing headlines, breaking records, and setting a new standard for athletic excellence in each sport. With plenty of surfing and skating left, there’s no telling what’s to come.
