Surfing-Vaast shines as Tahiti Pro starts in huge Teahupo'o tubes
(Reuters) -Tahiti's Olympic surfing gold medallist Kauli Vaast was among the standouts on Thursday as the Lexus Tahiti Pro got underway in huge, perfect waves at his home break of Teahupo'o, with California's Griffin Colapinto also starring in the heavy tubes.
The venue for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Teahupo'o again delivered stellar conditions for the world's top surfers in the final event of the regular season.
The top five men and women surfers at season's end win a spot in the World Surf League's one-day, winner-takes-all Finals in Fiji later this month.
Vaast, who competes on the second-tier challenger series, was given a wildcard and consistently found himself on the heaviest waves, racking up a two-wave total of 16.30 out of a possible 20.
"I really want to win here," said Vaast, who made the final of the championship tour event in 2022.
"I have a second place to better. I'm surrounded by great people ... they cheer for me and I'm really proud they are here and I want to do good for them again."
Brazil's Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and reigning Tahiti Pro champion Italo Ferreira was another standout in the first heat of the morning, but it was Colapinto who finished with the highest heat score of the day with 18 points for two long, deep tubes.
The 27-year-old from San Clemente had been relishing the even bigger surf in the lead-up to the event, charging waves he said were some of the best he had ever ridden.
"That's why I started surfing, was to have the potential wave in my life. This is so satisfying for the soul.
"And I love competition and competing, but when it comes to the opportunity to get the wave of your life, that's just as important to me," he said.
"Now we're competing and I'm still healthy, my body's intact, and I won my first heat, so I'm psyched."
South Africa's Jordy Smith, ranked No. 2 in the world, narrowly avoided a loss in the elimination round with a late, near perfect 9.5 against trials winner Teiva Tairoa of Tahiti.
But Japan's Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi, ranked fourth in the world going into Tahiti, went down to local wildcard Mihimana Braye in the elimination round, jeopardising his chance of making the Finals in Fiji.
Two-time world champion Filipe Toledo of Brazil also lost in the elimination round, putting an end to his hopes of making the top five.
When the women's competition gets underway, probably on Friday, 12-year-old Kelia Gallina will make history by becoming the youngest ever competitor in a world championship tour event.
Gallina, who started surfing Teahupo'o before she was five years old, won the trials event and will face Australia's world No. 1 Molly Picklum and California's Lakey Peterson in the first round.
(Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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