Date: 30/07/2024
Kiwi Surfers Olympic Campaign comes to an end
Surfing’s second appearance in the Olympic Games officially kicked off this week in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Representing New Zealand were Billy Stairmand and Saffi Vette, the duo securing their Olympic spots with strong performances at the 2023 International Surfing Association World Games in El Salvador.
Paris was the second Olympic Games for eight-time National Champion Stairmand, who placed 9th in Tokyo, the first New Zealand male to ever compete in surfing at the Olympic Games. Speaking with the NZOC beforehand he said, “It’s unbelievable to be going to my second Olympics, I’m super proud”. “I’m stoked to be representing New Zealand again and I know I can do something special over there.”
Saffi Vette on the other hand would be attending her first ever Olympics.
“It’s a dream come true; I watched the Olympics growing up but never thought surfing would be involved. It’s a huge opportunity to be amongst so many amazing athletes and it’s a pretty massive achievement for a girl from Gisborne.”
An extension of the Opening Ceremony festivities in Paris, France took place on the shores of Tahiti where 48 surfers, 24 men and 24 women representing 21 nations gathered in Papara, to celebrate the beginning of the 33rd edition of the Games, joining their national Olympic teams remotely in Paris.
The traditional ISA ‘Sands of the World’ ceremony followed, with Saffi Vette supported by Billy poure the sand for New Zealand, a symbol of the peaceful gathering of nations of the world through surfing. The ISA President Aguerre conclude the ceremony, pouring sand from Rio de Janeiro, the location where it was first announced that Surfing would be included in the Olympic Games, along with a shell from Ichinomiya Beach in Japan, where Surfing’s Olympic debut took place as a part of Tokyo 2020.
With formalities complete and over 15,000 kilometres away from the host city, Olympic Surfing debuted for Paris 2024 in a dreamy first day of competition that featured clean four-to-six feet of swell and barely any wind.
The intimidating reef of one of the world’s most dangerous waves, saw Round 1 of the men and women complete with both Billy and Saffi taking to the water. No eliminations would take place with the Olympic format seeing first place in each heat progressing into Round 3 and the remaining two surfers reseeded into Round 2.
Billy took to the water in Heat 5 against Brazilian big wave surfer Joao Chianca and Moroccan Charger Ramzi Boukhiam. Holding his own with the heavyweights of the surfing world Stairmand put a 3.33 on the board with a nice backhand tube however with just a backup of 2.2, he needed something magic which the ocean did not deliver. Chianca showing his experience at the wave finding 7 scores and putting a 5.6 and a 4.4 together to take the win. Boukhiam also finding a 4.9 and 4.8 to join Stairmand in Round 2.
The most anticipated Olympic debut was to come with Saffi Vette taking on Nadia Erostarbe of Spain and Siqi Yang of China in Heat 7 of the Women’s round 1. Erostarbe put on a dominant performance finding 5 waves including a 8.33 and a 6.33 to take the win. Vette looked comfortable finding a nice backhand tube for a 4.73 backed up with a smaller 2.77. Siqi Yang didn’t find a score of note, but wasn’t holding back, charging extremely heavy waves with no hesitation. With this first round performance Saffi would head to her round 2 matchup in heat 6 against Yolanda Hopkins.
It was Caroline Marks who, with a dramatic under the lip take off, slid into a huge tube and got spat out earning a 9.43, the highest single wave score of the day for the women. Her 17.93 two-wave heat total was the highest of the day overall.
In the men’s American Griffin Colapinto picked up the highest single wave score of the day, a 9.53 while John John put on a masterclass to earn a 17.33 two-wave heat total, the highest of the day for the men.
On day 2 the pressure was taken to the next level as elimination came into play. By the end of the day 16 surfers had dropped out of the event thanks to the three-to-five foot waves on offer and a wild mix of wind that showed various strengths throughout the day, this combination could only be described as challenging for many of the surfers with large lulls, wind gusts and then some diamonds amongst the rough.
Saffi Vette would take to the water again in her head to head Round 2 matchup against Portuguese surfer Yolanda Hopkins. It was a disappointing heat for the girls with big lulls and challenging winds forcing the surfers to look for anything that resembled a wave. Hopkins finding a 3.67 and a 1.0 to take the win, Vette finding just a pair of .6s, to take 2nd place, bowing out of the event in 17th position.
In the last heat of the day Billy Stairmand took to the water with the silver fern on his shoulder for the final time in the event, up against WSL super start Felipe Toledo of Brazil. In a heat that started off slow and rapidly gained momentum, it was Toledo who held strong claiming the highest heat total of the day finding a 9.67 and a 7.33 for a 17.0 total, defeating Stairmand in a nail biter of a heat.
“That was the strategy since I woke up this morning,” Toledo said in his post heat interview. “Give him a little bit of hassle at the start, get that inside position and don’t leave that inside position until I’ve got a good score. I ended up getting the 7 and then Billy [Stairmand] backed it up with the 8 and I was like, oh man, here we go. And then, when I had priority, I was like ok, I’m not leaving the lineup until I get a bomb and that bomb came my way, and yeah, just blessed to get that barrel and the win.”
Stairmand fought back hard with an 8.17 he looked to be gaining control but with Toledo finding his rhythm in the slow conditions and showing why he is the World Champion, the 5.83 that Billy eventually found was not enough and so Billy exits the event.
Saffi and Billy will now head to Paris to Join the team for the remainder of the event and to attend the closing ceremony.
About the NZ Team
NZ will take on the world at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Around 180 New Zealand Team athletes will compete at the Games, with the stunning city of Paris set to host 10,500 athletes from 206 nations.
With competition taking place at the Palace of Versaille, beneath the Eiffel Tower, inside Stade de France, and around landmarks such as Les Invalides, Place de la Concorde, Hotel de Ville and along the Seine, the Games are expected to be a spectacular event.
The Zealand Team is once again set to shine in sports from equestrian, to rowing, rugby sevens,
swimming, canoe sprint, sailing, athletics, cycling and more, while New Zealanders can check out the action in incredible new urban sports including skateboarding, sport climbing, breaking and 3×3 basketball.
Ends
