Paris 2024: Olympic surfers make waves in Paris — gold medallist Kauli Vaast surfs the Seine while Gabriel Medina's at the Louvre
With the end of the surfing competition at Teahupo’o in Tahiti and new Olympic champions crowned, the surfers are ready for what’s next — and for many, that's Paris.
The Olympic surfers, who competed more than 15,000 kilometres away from the host city, have proved eager to experience the Olympic Games venues across the city, visiting their respective national team houses, cheer on their countries and attend the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, 11 August.
Olympic gold medallist Kauli Vaast is making waves in Paris — literally. The Tahitian surfer who won gold for France posted a video of himself wakesurfing the River Seine. He's also made an appearance at Club France, where he received a hero's welcome.
Olympic surfing bronze medallist Gabriel Medina landed in Paris and made his way to the Louvre, where he re-enacted his viral kickout from Teahupo'o. He then found his Brazillian teammates, skateboarder Rayssa Leal, gymnast Rebeca Andrade and volleyball Bruno Rezende, to watch the Brazilian women's volleyball team compete in the semi-finals match against the USA.
German surfers Tim Elter and Camilla Kemp were some of the first surfers to arrive in Paris. Elter is bringing his party vibes from the floating Tahitian Olympic Village to the “non-floating” Parisian Olympic Village. Elter is sharing his Paris experience on TikTok, with one commenter saying, "Surfers in the village, this is chaos!" Elter is seen, naturally, at the beach volleyball competition. He also samples the village's viral chocolate muffins, and yes, they were well worth the long flight from the South Pacific.
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The New Zealand surf team of Saffi Vette and Billy Stairmand have also touched down in Paris. Stairmand shared his Paris plans in an Instagram post, saying, “As Tahiti comes to an end for me. I’m sad. But … I’m soooo excited to be heading to Paris tonight.” His checklist includes: “support the team, check out the village, celebrate at the NZ house and enjoy the Olympic Games.”