Men's Surfing Final 🏄‍♂️ | Paris Champions

Paradise was back open for business. After lengthy delays due to the weather, the final day of the men's surfing got underway in Te Upo'o on Tahiti. Visibly delighted to be back in the water, the surfers were raring to go. Two athletes went head-to-head in each of the semifinals. Scores for their best two waves are combined. The highest overall score would go for Olympic glory in the final. The loser would go into a bronze medal match. The first semifinal featured Peru's Alonso Correa against the home favourite, France's Kauly Vast. Vast was born in Tahiti, so his local knowledge would prove key. And it was the Frenchman who scored the highest with this. The wave wasn't huge, but he managed to ride it deep inside the barrel. Vast was into the final. In the second semifinal, Gabriel Medina from Brazil was up against Australia's Jack Robinson. Medina has come the closest to a perfect ten at these Olympic Games. He scored 9.9 in round three in near perfect conditions. The breathtaking image of his celebration spread across the world. But Robinson is a renowned big wave rider, and he made this one count. It would be Australia's Jack Robinson against France's Kauly Vast in the final. Before that, the match for third place. Brazil's Medina just missed out on a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, so was keen to make amends. His opponent started strongly. Peru's Alonso Correa was fluid and fast and was looking good. But Medina is a three-time world champion for a reason, and he started to turn it on. He wasn't just riding the waves well, he started to perform tricks. It was such an impressive surf from the Brazilian, and after the Olympic heartbreak of three years ago, Gabriel Medina got the bronze medal. So then it was the final. Two surfers and 35 minutes in the South Pacific Ocean would seal their fate. Kauly Vast for France against Australia's Jack Robinson, and this was an incredible contest. This was Vast's first wave, dodging the camera operators as he rode it. And he got his highest score of Paris 2024, 9.50. Robinson had to fight back, and he did, ending with his trademark salute, 7.83. He needed more. Vast kept attacking. This one scored 8.17. And Robinson just couldn't better the Frenchman. There would be a party in Tahiti tonight, 22-year-old Vast, who grew up on these shores, had produced a win for the history books. Bronze to Brazil's Gabriel Medina, silver to Jack Robinson from Australia, and gold to France's Kauly Vast.