Exciting Women’s Surfing Round 3 at Teahupo’o

The women’s surfing competition kicked off on the morning of Thursday, August 1, in Tahiti, French Polynesia, and it was an action-packed day for the competitors.

With sixteen talented surfers hitting the waves, the conditions were a bit tricky with four-to-six-foot waves. While tube rides were up for grabs, they were quite rare, which meant that many of the heats relied heavily on sharp turns and carves on the clean faces of the surf.

The field was quickly narrowed down to eight surfers, competing in various heats throughout the day. In heat one, Team USA’s Marks managed to advance after scoring 6.93, leaving the young 15-year-old surfer from the People’s Republic of China with just 1.63. It was a tough outing for the young surfer, marking the end of her historic run.

In heat two, Australian standout Tyler Wright impressed everyone with a total score of 11.10, securing the first tube rides of the day, while Israel’s competitor trailed with 7.74. Wright’s strong frontside carves helped her soar to the top.

Heat three saw France’s Defay (9.00) eliminate her fellow countrywoman Fierro (7.54), shocking the crowd as Fierro, a local favorite, couldn’t snag a solid second wave even after some excellent tube rides. She remained positive, sharing her excitement about future competitions, aiming for the Championship Tour and another Olympics.

Defending Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion Moore took charge in heat four, scoring 8.16 and easily moving past South Africa’s competitor who only managed 3.87.

In heat five, Spain’s Erostarbe (8.34) beat Japan’s Matsudo (5.84), with Matsudo struggling to keep pace throughout the heat.

Heat six was particularly thrilling as Brazil’s Weston-Webb made waves with an impressive 12.34. She opened strong with a clean tube ride followed by a big carve, successfully eliminating Team USA’s Simmers, who finished with just 1.93.

In heat seven, it was an all-Brazil showdown with Silva (6.77) edging out her compatriot in a tight contest that showcased clever wave selection.

The final heat of the day featured Costa Rica’s Hennessy scoring an outstanding 12.34 to match the highest score of the day and continuing her fierce competition streak.