Tahiti, the exotic venue for the Olympic surfing, was left celebrating as local hero Kauli Vaast won the men’s gold medal match on Monday after “going to war” with Australian Jack Robinson.
Vaast, 22, grew up in Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia, which is an ‘overseas collectivity’ of the French Republic. He was representing France but said his victory was “for all Tahitians, for Polynesia and France”.
In tricky conditions, with only intermittent sets, Vaast made an ideal start to the final, threading a long tube for a near-perfect 9.5 out of 10.
“I knew that one, I would make it if I just had enough speed,” he said. “I just went all in and tried to make the speed that I wanted to have, and I made it, so I was so stoked.”
Robinson managed a 7.83 with his first effort. To wild celebrations from the spectator boats and the shoreline, Vaast then scored 8.17 for a combined 17.67, leaving Robinson chasing a near-perfect score as the ocean went quiet for the remainder of the heat.
Vaast said he was still nervous. Robinson had knocked out the favourite Gabriel Medina and American John John Florence en route to the final.
“Against Jack, it’s something scary because he can throw a big score, he just needs two seconds. So, it was scary for 15 minutes,” he said. “If a wave came and he got the score, I would be ready to get the score … It was just like war and I was ready for it.”
