2024 Paris Olympics: Carissa Moore upset and eliminated in surfing competition

Carissa Moore was consoled by her husgand after being eliminated from Olympic competition.

Rough surf in Tahiti ended Carissa Moore's quest for another Olympic gold medal in surfing.

After losing to Johanne Defay of France, Moore came out of the surf in tears and was greeted by applause and cheers from onlookers and fellow competitors.

When she composed herself, she gamely met with the media. "When you come up short of a dream, it sucks," said Moore, who won the sports first gold medal in Tokyo in the 2021 Olympics and was expected to compete in the finals again.

FYI: Follow all the AANHPI athletes at the Paris Olympics.

"It’s very raw. You put everything you have into something. I put my whole year [into this]. I took a chance. I left the [Championship] Tour. I came here. I spent months out of the year, just trying to do my very best. And when you come up short of a dream, it sucks. But at the same time, how fun was it? I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I would’ve been so bummed if I looked back and I only did that half-heartedly. I went all-in. I just hope that at the end of the day I can encourage whoever’s watching – win  or lose – don’t be afraid to go into it fearlessly. Don’t be afraid to fail. The process has been so much fun. I feel like there’s been a lot of personal growth in and out of the water," said Moore, who is of Hawaiian and Filipino descent.

“I’m really proud of my backside barrel-riding. I caught some waves I never thought I would have ever caught in my whole life. So, obviously I’m really sad to not be part of Finals Day, and get to represent my home and my family one more time. But I’m really grateful. I couldn’t have imagined a better place to finish off my career,” said Moore,  praising the Tahiti hosts and surfing site,  Teahupo'o, which is Tahition for "place for skulls."

The quarter-finals of the women's competition were postponed for two days because of the rough surf caused by tropical storms. By Thursday, the judges felt the weather had improved enough to continue the competition even though condtiions were worse than the day the men competed on Monday.

The surf forecast is the biggest determining factor of when the surfing competition will take place, predicting when swells are expected to arrive, as well as the angle and size of the waves. The competition must conclude by Aug. 5 -- next Monday -- so it's important to pick what forecasters think will be the best days.

Moore wasn't the only experienced surfer affectd by the conditions. "It was complicated to find the tube in the waves," said French Polynesian Vahine Fierro, who lost her heat to teammate Defay. "I was ready to do maneuvers, to do tubes. But it was quite complicated on the water."

In an earlier interview this week, she said that wants to start a family with her husband, entrepreneur Luke Untermann. 

"I'm going to give myself some time to just take a break," said Moore, who is of Hawaiian and Filipino descent.

"I hope to be surfing until I'm old and gray," she said. "It's strange to think that I'll kind of be wrapping up the competitive chapter in a sense, but I'm not closing the door. Who knows, maybe in a few years, I have an itch that I want to scratch and come back, or maybe I'll put the jersey on and try some fun events. But for now, there's just some other things that are exciting me.”

DITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge

2024 Paris Olympics: Reflections of champion surfer Carissa Moore

Carissa Moore won her first heat in Tahiti.

It shouldn't be a surprise that the No. 1 women's surfer would come from Hawaii where the sport became popular.

Carissa Moore proved her top standing at the Tokyo Olympics where she won a gold medal. She gave the surfing world a worry when she took time off to decompress after the Olympics but the 31-year old s definitely back and looking to repeat as a gold medalist.

She's back for the Paris Olympics, but Paris is 10,000 miles away. The surfing competition is taking place in Tahiti, a colony of France and only a short flight away from Moore's home in Hawaii.

She won her first heat Sunday which allows her to skip round 2 and go straight to round 3.

FYI: Follow all the AANHPI athletes at the Paris Olympics.

During her time off after Tokyo, Moore, who is part Native Hawaiian and Filipino on her mother's side, German on her father's side, was able to reflect on other things besides catching the next wave.

“It taught me how to look at different perspectives and see where other people are coming from,” she shared. “I think it’s important for us all to understand that there’s not one way that’s the right way.”

Moore says she is a proud American, but she said she is an even prouder Asian Hawaiian Pacific Islander athlete who hopes to inspire all cultures and races that anything is possible.

“There is something about growing up in the islands with such a tight community. You feel like you are doing this for everyone,” she said.

Moore began surfing at just 5 years old when she began riding the Waikiki waves with her father,.At age 11, she won her first competition. As she began her career, she quickly climbed to the top, leading her to a successful career in competitive surfing.

Throughout her career, she's won 11 NSSA amateur titles, and even made history in 2008 when she became the youngest champion of the Reef Hawaiian Pro, per her Olympic bio. At the 2021 Tokyo Games, Moore won the sport's first-ever Olympic gold medal. has been surfing since she was seven. Now at 28, she has been the No. 1 woman surfer since she was 20.

In the back of her mind is the thought that this may very well be her last Olympics. After Tokyo, she got married and plans to have a family after the Paaris Games.

"I'm not just a competitive surfer," she says. "I'm a sister, I'm a daughter, I'm a friend and also hopefully, one day, a mother. Having a family of my own is something that is super important to me and is really meaningful."

"I've really had to look at myself and my identity and throw myself into the unknown and take a leap of faith," she explains. "All my friends who are men who are on the tour, obviously, they're able to have families. They've already started their families. It's a big decision for me."

For now, she's focused on winning another gold medal. The US team members all won their first heat Sunday and moving on to the next round.

"The ocean has changed my life and I can't imagine my life without it, I'll be surfing until I'm in the ground," Moore added. "Riding the wave makes you feel free, it makes you feel present, it makes you feel more in love with yourself and the ocean and the environment."

“I feel very fortunate that I have had a lot of really beautiful moments in the ocean. I think some of my favourite days are just surfing at home with my dad or my husband or my little sister at one of my favourite local spots, and the sun is shining and it's warm and the waves are really good and there's nothing to worry about.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge

Tokyo Olympics: Hawaii's Carissa Moore catches a wave to a gold medal

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Hawaii's Carissa Moore carried off the beach after winning surfing's first Olympic gold medal.

This is the first time surfing has been included as an event in the Olympics so it is fitting that surfing's first gold medal goes to a native of Hawaii, the birthplace of the sport.

The world's No. 1 ranked woman surfer Carissa Moore is the first woman to ever win a gold medal in her sport at the Olympics. The surfing team's lone ethnic Hawaiian, she not only represented the U.S., she represented Hawaii and its people.

"I feel super blessed, super fortunate. It's been an incredible experience," Moore said after beating South Africa's Bianca Buitendag in the final competition. 

"It's been a crazy couple of days, a little bit of a rollercoaster of emotions just trying to figure out the break, find my rhythm, learning how to trust myself without my family here." 

After Tropical Storm Nepartak bypassed the Olympic site overnight, a rainbow spanned the sky over Tsurgasaki Beach 40 miles from Tokyo. It may have been a sign from her the Rainbow State where her family stayed up late in Hawaii to cheer their hometown hero.

Buitendag had trouble catching the rough waves unable to perform her tricks but Moore caught wave after wave building an unsurmountable score.

Moore, the four-time World Surf League champion ,entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed. She has been surfing since she was seven.

"The ocean has changed my life and I can't imagine my life without it, I'll be surfing until I'm in the ground," Moore added. "Riding the wave makes you feel free, it makes you feel present, it makes you feel more in love with yourself and the ocean and the environment." has been surfing since she was seven. Now at 28, she has been the No. 1 woman surfer since she was 20.

This morning  (July 27), Moore was interviewed on the Today Show where she also called the victory a "huge moment" for her native Hawaii, where surfing is central to the culture.

"It's the best sport in the world," she told Today hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin. "I'm biased, but it's just nice to share it with a whole other stage and with a whole bigger audience. Surfing, it just brings so much joy, and I hope that people can sense that when they watch."

Watch Carissa Moore win her gold medal: