Tatiana Weston-Webb

Tatiana Weston-Webb was eight years old when she first fell in love with surfing and learnt it by watching her older brother ride waves. The waves have long been in their family, with Weston-Webb’s Brazilian mother, Tanira, once being a professional bodyboarder.

After playing on the shore break together with her brother, she got her very first board.

According to her WSL bio, much of her confidence can be attributed to her father, who ‘routinely paddled her out at big Hanalei Bay’ in Hawaii as a child, allowing her to be undeterred in the face of the sport's inherent risks. It also meant that when the casting team at Soul Surfer needed a stunt double for Bethany Hamilton, Weston-Webb fit the bill and she got to spend three weeks shooting with her hero.

From then on, she has gone from strength to strength.

The 25-year-old has dreamt about becoming an Olympian ever since it was announced that surfing would be debuting at Tokyo 2020.

Originally, she had been representing the USA on the water, but with the Olympics in her sight, Weston-Webb made the decision to switch allegiances to Brazil, stating that the country has always been an important part of who she is.