USA’s Caroline Marks Wins Gold in Dramatic Olympics Women’s Surfing Final
In a thrilling conclusion to the Olympics women’s surfing competition, USA’s Caroline Marks edged Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb to claim the gold medal at Tahiti’s Teahupo’o surf break. The drama of the competition extended until the final seconds, with Marks securing the win thanks to a tiebreaker.
The final saw both surfers struggling to catch waves, with neither posting a score better than 0.5 in the early stages. Marks eventually secured the first significant score of the final with a successful barrel ride, earning a score of 7.5 from the judges. Weston-Webb countered with a score of 5.83, but Marks’ second ride, which didn’t include a barrel, replaced a secondary score of 1.43 with a 3.0, giving her a 10.5-7.63 lead.
With two minutes remaining, Weston-Webb secured her second successful ride, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Marks. The judges’ verdict on Weston-Webb’s second ride was a 4.5, securing a 10.5-10.33 win for Marks and the gold medal.
Marks, 22, celebrated the win with her supporters on shore, having finished just off the podium in fourth place in Tokyo. This is the second consecutive medal for the U.S. in surfing, which became an Olympic sport in the Tokyo Games. Carissa Moore won gold for Team USA in the inaugural competition.
In the men’s final, Tahiti local Kauli Vaast secured gold for France on his local surf break over Australia’s Jack Robinson. Brazil’s Gabriel Medina won bronze.
The win marks a significant milestone for Marks, who has been a dominant force in women’s surfing. Her victory is a testament to her hard work and dedication, and she will be looking to build on this success in the future.
