Surfing at Paris 2024: Round one heats announced

The first round of heats have officially been drawn for the highly-anticipated Olympic Games Paris 2024. The International Surfing Association, the sport’s governing body, released the heats this Wednesday (29 May) for the first round of competition that will take place later this year in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.

The 24 athletes of each gender slated to compete will be divided into eights heats comprised of three athletes each. The winner of each heat will advance to the round of 16, while the remaining two will compete in a repechage.

As of today, the United States holds the top male and female spot on the World Surf League’s (WSL) world rankings, with Griffin Colapinto and Caity Simmers both sitting at world number one. Neither of the two competed in surfing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo, but both secured their spots to shoot their shot at Olympic glory this year.

USA’s Carissa Moore will step onto the Olympic stage and attempt to defend her title, as she was the first woman to take an Olympic gold medal in her sport.

Brazil is the country with the most representatives, with six in total. Filipe Toledo, Gabriel Medina and João Chianca are in the men's competition, while Luana Silva, Tainá Hinckel and Tatiana Weston-Webb will participate in the women's group. For more heat information, check out the lists below.

World No. 1 Simmers to face No. 2 Picklum in women’s heat four

Currently dominating the women’s side of the WSL Championship Tour are 18-year-old Simmers and Australian rival/friend Molly Picklum.

The two have been pitted against each other in the opening heats and will go head-to-head with Brazilian powerhouse Weston-Webb in the fourth heat of the opening round**.**

The heat is going to be one for the ages.

Reigning Olympic champion Moore will face off in heat eight with Portugal's Teresa Bonvalot and Japan’s Shino Matsuda, while reigning world champion Caroline Marks will open the heats with Portugal’s Yolanda Hopkins and South Africa’s Sarah Baum.

For the men, heat three is going to be one to watch as back-to-back reigning world champion Filipe Toledo will be in the water with Olympic silver medalist and Japanese phenom Kanoa Igarashi.

Colapinto, who is currently ranked number one in the world, will face Peru’s Lucca Mesinas and hometown hero Kauli Vaast (France) in heat seven, while John John Florence will fight for his shot at Olympic glory in the heat before.

Women’s surfing heat draw for Paris 2024

• Heat 1: Yolanda Hopkins (POR), Caroline Marks (USA), Sarah Baum (RSA)
• Heat 2: Sol Aguirre (PER), Janire Etxabarri (ESP), Vahine Fierro (FRA)
• Heat 3: Anat Lelior (ISR), Sanoa Dempfle-Olin (CAN), Tyler Wright (AUS)
• Heat 4: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Molly Picklum (AUS), Caitlin Simmers (USA)
• Heat 5: Johanne Defay (FRA), Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Candelaria Resano (NCA)
• Heat 6: Tainá Hinckel (BRA), Camila Kemp (GER), Luana Silva (BRA)
• Heat 7: Nadia Erostarbe (ESP), Siqi Yang (CHN), Saffi Vette (NZL)
• Heat 8: Carissa Moore (USA), Teresa Bonvalot (POR), Matsuda Shino (JPN)

Men’s surfing heat draw for Paris 2024

• Heat 1: Ethan Ewing (AUS), Tim Elter (GER), Jordy Smith (RSA)
• Heat 2: Joan Duru (FRA), Jack Robinson (AUS), Matthew McGillivray (RSA)
• Heat 3: Alonso Correa (PER), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN)
• Heat 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Connor O’Leary (JPN), Bryan Perez (ESA)
• Heat 5: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR), Billy Stairmand (NZL), João Chianca (BRA)
• Heat 6: Andy Criere (ESP), John John Florence (USA), Alan Cleland (MEX)
• Heat 7: Kauli Vaast (FRA), Lucca Mesinas (PER), Griffin Colapinto (USA)
• Heat 8: Rio Waida (INA), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), Inaba Reo (JPN)