Paris 2024 Underdogs: An Analysis of Europe’s Olympic Qualifiers
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“Expect a big show with a lot of power, grace, and a lot of kindness as well with the local people there,” said Vahiné Fierro about the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, after securing her own qualification. “I think that it’s a place where nobody can understand how special it is until they go there and feel the vibe and they will feel it through the TV as well.”
Fierro is a Tahitian and will be representing France when the Olympics kick off at the end of July. After securing an era-defining win as a Wildcard win at the Shiseido Tahiti Pro last month, the 24-year-old leapt into the wider surfing consciousness. Now considered one of the favorites for the Gold Medal at Paris '24 based on her local knowledge and incredible talent, she could jump from the widescreen TV into a mainstream sports legend if she can repeat her recent victory.
Fierro, however, is one of the few surfers representing Europe (again, she represents France in the Olympics) who will have any form of real expectation coming into the event. While the CT qualifiers of Italy's Leo Fioravanti, France’s Johanne Defay and Portugal's Teresa Bonvalot are better known, there’s a clutch of talented (albeit relatively) unknown surfers who have the potential to upset the Olympic applecart.
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In terms of pure passion, the first worth mentioning is Yolanda Hopkins Sequeria. The Portuguese surfer has just added a new tattoo of the Olympic rings, with the caption “Paris 24” placed above the Tokyo 2020 tattoo she inked after making the Quarterfinals in Japan. She’s also on record as saving some more personal real estate for LA (2028) and Brisbane (2032).
The 5’2” natural footer is known as one of the most committed trainers on tour. Before Tokyo, she trained 14 hours a day. Her days started with a 12-kilometer run before a dawn surf, kickstarting a rotation of at least three workouts and surf sessions. She is just recently back from a training mission to Teahupo’o, where she broke five boards and left some skin on the reef. “I refuse to pull back on any wave that comes my way,” Hopkins told SURFER. “I want absolutely no regrets when it comes to my Olympic dream.”
There’s a clutch of talented (albeit relatively) unknown surfers who have the potential to upset the Olympic applecart.
Other European women worth watching out for are the Basque duo of Nadia Erostarbe and Janire Gonzalez-Extabarri. Nineteen-year-old Janire is a former European Junior Champion who has honed her barrel riding skills at Mundaka, as well as other big-wave spots near her home in Zarautz in the Spanish Basque Country. Diminutive, but with superb technique and a stellar competitive record, you sense this won’t be her first, and last, Olympics
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Her fellow Zauratz sparring partner is Nadia Erostarbe. A few years older than Gonzalez-Extabarri, the goofy-footer has been the highest-rated European female surfer on the Challenger Series over the last two years. Calm and composed on land, she has a competitive fire that comes out in the water. Again, growing up in the heavy water slabs and big wave points of the Basque Country will help when dealing with Teahupo’o. Both surfers have the advantage of being under the tutelage of Euro legend and CT surfer Aritz Aranburu, who has been traveling to the wave for two decades.
“I refuse to pull back on any wave that comes my way,” Hopkins told SURFER. “I want absolutely no regrets when it comes to my Olympic dream.”
A key member in that same Basque pack is Andy Criere. Criere is a tall, athletic, articulate, goofy-footer who has been a QS and Challenger Series journeyman for the better part of a decade. His style and talent however have never had the competitive return they probably deserve. Yet at the 2024 ISA Games in Puerto Rico, he peaked at the perfect time, with a semifinal finish that ensured his qualification for Paris.
“I’m honoured to be the first Spanish Surfer in Olympic history and I genuinely love surfing Teahupo’o,” he told SURFER. “We have incredible support and I’ll do everything I can for my country. I'll go in with a podium as my goal.” A talented and brave tube rider with plenty of slab experience, he’s definitely in the dark horse category.
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The same could be said for yet another European goofy footer (of the 12 European Olympic qualifiers, only three ride regular) Joan Duru. The Frenchman spent four years on the CT and is known for his incredible tuberiding ability, honed in heaving Hossegor beachbreaks. It was no surprise that his best CT career result, a runner-up finish, was achieved at the Portuguese break of Supertubes. One of the oldest surfers in the field at 35, his mix of experience and world-class barrel sense could push him near the podium.
Finally, as we circle back to where we started, is the tricolor-flag-flying Kauli Vaast, who, like Vahine Fierro, is a Teahupo’o local. Vaast made the Finals at the 2024 ISA Games to book his qualification. Whilst a talented professional and a multiple European Champion, his odds of an Olympic medal could have been relatively low if the competition wasn't being held a three-minute jetski ride from his kitchen. He made the Final of the Tahiti Pro CT event in 2022 as a Wildcard and backed that breakout performance with a fifth-place finish the next year. In free surfing sessions, he is considered one of the best to have surfed the iconic wave.
So while the Europeans don’t have the biggest global superstars in their ranks, they do have strength in numbers. Without the pressure of expectations and with Olympic dreams burning as deep as their fellow competitors, they shouldn’t be written off. Upsets happen, and surprises, well, surprise.
