Latest news with #Teahupoo
Japan Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Kauli Vaast shines in Teahupo'o's huge tubes at WSL's Tahiti Pro
Tahiti's Olympic surfing gold medalist 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. Teahupo'o, the venue for the Paris 2024 Olympics, 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-take-all Finals in Fiji later this month. Vaast, who competes on the second-tier challenger series, was given a wild card and consistently found himself on the heaviest waves, racking up a two-wave total of 16.30 out of a possible 20 points. "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 medalist 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," he said. "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. "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 medalist Kanoa Igarashi, ranked fourth in the world going into Tahiti, went down to local wildcard Mihimana Braye in the elimination round, jeopardizing his chances 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.
CNA
20 hours ago
- Sport
- CNA
Surfing-Vaast shines as Tahiti Pro starts in huge Teahupo'o tubes
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.
Reuters
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Vaast shines as Tahiti Pro starts in huge Teahupo'o tubes
Aug 7 (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.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Kelia Mehani Gallina becomes youngest-ever WSL competitor, set to face Australia's Molly Picklum
Australian surfer Molly Picklum is riding a wave of momentum in 2025 that has her standing at the top of the World Surf League (WSL). The Gosford-born rider heads into this week's Tahiti Pro in a rich vein of form, making the final in the past three events, including victory in Rio de Janeiro. But when Picklum hits the water at the world-famous Teahupo'o, the crowd will be firmly behind a history-making 12-year-old. Tahiti surfer Kelia Mehani Gallina will become the youngest ever competitor in the WSL. Gallina will compete in the opening heat against Picklum and American five-time Champions Tour event winner Lakey Peterson. The pre-teen won event trials in Tahiti last month, earning a wildcard spot into the final event of the season before the finals. In an interview with ABC Sport in the lead-up to the event, Gallina said the waves she expects to surf at Teahupo'o will be bigger than what the 12-year-old will normally go for. "It feels really good, it's exciting," Gallina told ABC Sport ahead of her Champions Tour debut. "It's going to be complicated, but I guess I'll just go out and try … I'm pretty sure I'm good. "A little stressed out because Mollie is definitely one of my heroes. She's also really good at the barrels, so it's going to be an interesting heat. "I know Mollie really well … I can't wait." Picklum spoke of her friendship with Gallina during her own interview with ABC Sport, speaking about training with her last year in preparation for the Olympic Games. Despite being 10 years older and a role model for Gallina, Picklum said the young Tahiti surfer was an inspiration to the Australian. "It'd be cool if she was looking up to me, but in the same way, she inspires me. Her technique, and everything, in the barrel is so good. "She's doing incredible things, and that's, like, the next generation coming through. "It pushes us to keep going further. It's all I want to, I don't want to be just sitting at the top and not being pushed." Picklum has already clinched her spot in the finals in Fiji, but has no intention of taking this week's event lightly. "I'm feeling pretty excited. I've had such a good year, and to just keep on going right to the end is important," she said. "It's not celebration time by any means, but it's definitely [time] to enjoy it and enjoy Tahiti."
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Kelia Mehani Gallina: the 12-year-old girl staring down monster waves at Teahupo'o
When the final leg of the World Surf League (WSL) regular season begins in Tahiti this week, Kelia Mehani Gallina will make history. Just 12 years old, the Tahitian local won the event trials last month to book a spot in the main draw, making her the youngest competitor in WSL history. She will face the current world No 1, Molly Picklum of Australia, and American star Lakey Peterson in the opening round, before celebrating her 13th birthday midway through the event. The contest site, Teahupo'o, is renowned as being among the heaviest waves in the world. But Gallina is a regular – she speaks to the Guardian by phone with her father, Ryan, from their home in Teahupo'o village. 'We can see [the wave] from our bedroom,' says Ryan, who is originally from Hawaii (Kelia's mother is Tahitian). Such is her local status that Kelia's Instagram handle is simply @MissTeahupoo. 'I'm pretty surprised,' the youngster admits after her trials victory. 'I just can't wait.' Her father shares these emotions. 'We're in shock,' he says. 'We always visualised this happening, but not at all did we think it would happen so soon.' Kelia started surfing when she was three, at the suggestion of her father – himself a passionate surfer. 'It's always fun,' she says. 'I have a lot of friends who surf every day too, so I'm just with them, all day, every day.' Barely a decade later, Kelia will surf against the best in the world. In recent years, Kelia has been a regular participant in Rising Tides – a WSL program that sees pro surfers guide and mentor young locals during a competition stop. 'My birthday is 10 August, so it's always been around my birthday,' she says. 'It's the best birthday present ever. It's super inspiring to surf with [defending world champion] Caity Simmers, Molly Picklum, all those girls. I'm excited to have them in a heat.' On a big swell, Teahupo'o is fearsome – waves track thousands of kilometres across the Pacific before unloading on to a shallow Tahitian reef. For a decade and a half, the women's side of the WSL did not feature a leg in Tahiti; the event was discontinued in 2006 reportedly due to injury fears, a decision that was criticised at the time as sexist. That was reversed in 2022 after the WSL men's and women's calendars were integrated. Last year, that decision was more than vindicated when the top female surfers looked at home in heaving 8-10ft Teahupo'o barrels. 'It definitely gives me reasons to want to go on the bigger waves,' Kelia says. 'I feel like the level of the girls is getting way better every year. I'm really happy to be part of that next generation.' The youngster started surfing Teahupo'o at four and a half years old – she can't recall whether she was fearful at first. 'I think so,' she says with a laugh. 'It's kind of hard to remember.' Ryan admits he continues to harbour some concerns, but, he says, 'nothing out of the ordinary for a parent.' 'Of course you worry,' Ryan says. 'Like you worry when they're crossing the street, or riding around in town, there's always somewhat of a worry that comes with being a parent. But I've been about 23 years out at this wave, and feel I know it pretty intimately – so I pride myself in knowing when is a good time [for Kelia to surf].' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion The pair often surf together. In bigger waves – Kelia says she has previously surfed 12ft faces – Ryan will stay close in the water and help guide his daughter into the waves. 'They're not going to allow that [during competition],' he says. So the Mehani Gallina family are hoping the swell is good, but not too good, come competition day. 'We're praying the waves aren't too big,' he adds. The family also take peace of mind from the fact that 'the best life-saving water patrol in the world' will be close to hand, Ryan says. Not yet a teenager, Kelia says she wants to qualify for the WSL in the future – even if her debut appearance came earlier than expected. 'That's definitely the goal, to make it on tour,' she says. The Mehani Gallina family are trying to manage expectations, though. 'We acknowledge that it is extremely difficult to make it to that level,' Ryan adds. 'It's a goal, but not the goal. Surfing is a lifestyle for us, so whether or not that happens, it's just about being in the ocean, getting better every day and having something you're passionate about.' In the coming days, when the buzzer goes to begin her heat, Kelia will make history – even before she surfs a wave. Could an upset be on the cards? 'I'm just going to wait until the moment,' says Kelia. But Ryan is hoping that age and relative inexperience could work in his daughter's favour. 'There is really no pressure on her to do anything – no one expected her to get this far,' he says. '[Kelia] is the biggest underdog ever – the pressure is on [the other surfers in the heat]. You don't want to lose to a 12-year-old girl.'
