Private Sport Shop ambassador Kauli Vaast won a superb bronze medal on the final day of the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti. And Les Bleus also went home with the men's gold medal for Kauli Vaast!
A historic day for French surfing! In Tahiti, on the famous Teahupoo wave, Kauli Vaast and Johanne Defay each brought home a medal for the French clan. Gold for Tahiti's Kauli Vaast, who won the final with authority against Australia's Jack Robinson, and bronze for France's Johanne Defay. The Frenchwoman's performance at these Olympic Games was remarkable. She had already struck hard in the previous rounds, eliminating compatriot and competition favorite Vahine Fierro in the Round of 16. A heartbreaker for the Frenchwoman, but the rest of the competition was open to her. In the quarter-finals, she repeated her high-flying performance, defeating five-time Hawaiian world champion and Olympic title-holder Carissa Moore.
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In the end, it was in the semi-finals that Johanne fell for the first time, to American Caroline Marks, the future gold medallist of the Paris Olympics. It was a cruel outcome, as both women had exactly the same score at the end of regulation time (12.17). But with the best wave of the series, it was the American who secured her place in the final. Johanne Defay, meanwhile, rallied to claim bronze in the small final against Costa Rican Brisa Hennessy. By adopting a strategy of catching as many waves as possible, the Private Sport Shop ambassador quickly upped her score and knocked out her rival, who went for long minutes without catching a single wave. In the end, the score was indisputable (12.66 for the Frenchwoman versus 4.93 for her opponent). Bronze was at the end of this series, and Johanne was able to cry in the arms of her companion and coach Simon Paillard, the first to come and congratulate her. If she has already won several World Tour events, it's a safe bet that this bronze medal will hold a special place in her heart. Hats off to Johanne!