Shred time in Tokyo as surfing joins the wave of Olympic sports
Surfing’s Olympic debut coincided with a welcomed swell arriving this weekend like a gift from the weather gods.
After all the skepticism, pessimism and uncertainty accompanying surfing’s tube ride to the big stage, Duke Kahanamoku’s dream became a reality Saturday (Sunday morning in Japan).
As the father of modern surfing, the famed Hawaiian Kahanamoku expressed a desire to see his favorite sport anointed Olympic status. According to historians, he made the plea after winning a gold medal in swimming at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Since then, others have taken up the cause, the latest being Fernando Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Association.
“I’ve faced so many naysayers and haters, people saying, ‘you’re wasting your time, it’s not gonna happen,’” Aguerre said.
It’s happening at Tsurigasaki Beach in Chiba, about an hour from Tokyo. The competition began with the first rounds and is scheduled to run through Tuesday night, Pacific time (Wednesday morning in Japan).
Waves generated from a tropical cyclone are expected to reach heights of 6 ½ feet over the next few days at the beach break not known for big surf.
While the waves don’t compare to the behemoths of Mavericks near Half Moon Bay or Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, they have a chance to create awe for spectators tuning into the sport for the first time.
“The man and woman that win the gold medal will be the most famous surfers in the world,” said Peter Townend, who in 1975 was the first professional world champion.
Kelly Slater, regarded as the greatest surfer in history, echoed Townend’s observation, saying in an interview, “It is great that potentially one or more surfers could become big stars from this single competition.”
The likely candidates are two Brazilians for the men — top-ranked Gabriel Modina and No. 2 Italo Ferreira — and No.1 Carissa Moore of Hawaii for the women. The trio has dominated the World Surf League’s Championship Tour this year.
Unfortunately, big waves are not enough for great surfing conditions; they also need smooth faces for optimal performances. Forecasters expect afternoon winds that could spoil the party for the later rounds.
A handful of Olympic surfers interviewed dismissed concerns about the waves, saying they are used to competing in all kinds of conditions. Their excitement about the Tokyo Games superseded all else.
That wasn’t always the case. When the International Olympic Committee announced in 2016 the inclusion of surfing, “most of the surfers were blase about what the Olympics mean,” said Australia’s Owen Wright, speaking last month at a WSL contest in Lemoore.
He said his attitude changed after hearing a talk by aboriginal runner Kathy Freeman, one of the breakout stars of the Sydney Games. Wright, ranked 20th on the WSL Championship Tour, said Freeman’s story had his teammates in tears.
“From that moment all of the Aussies really understood how much it means to represent your country,” he said. “You’re no longer just a surfer, you’re an Olympian.”
American star Kolohe Andino had the same reaction as Wright when first considering the Tokyo Games.
“I was kind of treating it just like any other tour event,” he told reporters. “Once we got here I was like ‘Whoa, this is a whole other level.’ ”
The athletes have Aguerre to thank. The Argentine surfer and ISA president said he spent thousands of hours on the project. He added on average a surfer catches seven waves an hour.
“That makes 84,000 waves that I did not surf to make it happen,” he said.
U.S. star John John Florence said now that he and teammates are in Tokyo, “it’s so much bigger than anything we’ve been a part of before. Before we didn’t quite know how everything was gonna look and what it was gonna be like but once you’re here and you see the scale of everything.”
Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore, a seven-time world champion, sees nothing but positives from joining the Olympic community. She recalled how the uninitiated see surfers as taming a foreign and dangerous environment.
“People will fall in love with it no matter who wins or what the waves are like,” Gilmore said at the Surf Ranch. “They will appreciate, yes, surfing is an action sport but it has got to be one of the most beautiful sports to watch.”
Aguerre described the counterculture nature of a sport as making it inviting to people not interested in organized competition.
“This is a sport you do on your own, that connects with your soul, it calms your overstimulated brain and your stress from modern society,” he told reporters.
Aguerre continued: “The ocean is free. It doesn’t belong to anyone. No one can buy it. Nobody can sell it. Nobody can charge you.”
Erik Logan, WSL chief executive, said surfing had been ingrained in beach life years before it became an organized competition.
For the World Surf League, the NBA of professional surfing, the Olympics is an extension of expanding its global footprint.
“The wonderful thing about surfing’s inclusion in the Olympics is that so many more people are going to be aware of professional surfing,” Logan said.
And if the promise of ideal conditions doesn’t materialize?
“No one will remember what the surf is like,” said Townend, the first world champion. “They will remember who won.”