On August 6, the Private Sport Shop ambassador brought French surfing its first-ever Olympic medal. In a series of four videos on her Youtube channel, she looks back on this sporting and human adventure.
"I wanted to be part of the party what..." As Johanne Defay recounted her Olympic epic of last August in a mini-series of four videos to be discovered below, she was overcome by emotion. The French surfer had obviously had time since that summer to measure the magnitude of the event, to appreciate the achievement of a successful competition and to savor memories that will remain engraved for life for her and her companion and coach Simon. Far superior to the Tokyo Olympic Games, which she had also competed in 2021, the Paris edition was on an altogether different scale. The crowds were out in force, and the event took place on the legendary Teahupoo spot, in front of the many fans who turned out to support the French surfers.
However, Johanne's entry into the competition didn't quite go to plan. Injuring her head in the first round, the Frenchwoman had to go through the repechage stage after having her skull sewn back on. This was an important moment for her, as she also had to comply with the concussion protocol, which could have resulted in her being withdrawn from the competition if she didn't validate it. It was a tense moment for her and the French team staff, as Johanne and Simon recount in this mini-series entitled "L'aventure olympique de Paris 2024" (Paris 2024 Olympic adventure), which also features "inside" footage captured by the Frenchwoman and her partner throughout the Olympics.
The rest of the event finally saw the Private Sport Shop ambassador put in an exemplary performance, knocking off world number four Molly Picklum in the repechage, event favorite and French team-mate Vahine Fierro in the round of 16, then reigning Olympic champion and five-time world champion Carissa Moore in the quarter-finals. It was finally in the semi-finals that she found herself up against a stronger opponent, despite an exactly identical score with American Caroline Marks (12.17 for both surfers). The latter qualified for the final thanks to a better wave than Johanne (7 against 6.50 for the Frenchwoman). In the duel for bronze, Johanne never gave Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy a chance, going on to win the bronze medal. a bronze medal richly deserved. A memory for eternity.