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See Whale Crash The Olympics Women’s Surfing Competition in Tahiti (PHOTOS)
Not to be outdone by the Olympic women's surfers, a whale earned a "10" from NBC announcers after leaping into the air in the waters of Tahiti.
The Olympians weren’t the only ones showing off their skills in Monday’s women’s surfing competition.
A whale also crashed the party in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, making an impressive leap into the air during the semifinal match between Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb and Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy.
The breathtaking moment was captured in a series of photos and videos that show the whale soaring into the air behind the two surfers, who were waiting for their next wave.
“Wow,” an NBC announcer remarked in a video of the surprising visitor posted by NBC Olympics & Paralympics on X, formerly known as Twitter. “That’s incredible.”
“That’s a 10 right there,” another announcer added.
Whales can often be spotted near the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, where the 2024 Paris Olympic surfing events are being held, between the months of July and November as they migrate to warmer waters to give birth, according to NPR.
The large mammal is so revered in the area that earlier this year, Tahiti leaders joined with other island nations to sign a treaty granting whales legal personhood in a move to encourage greater protection of their ocean habitat.
American Caroline Marks Wins Gold in Women’s Shortboard
The whale may have earned high marks from the event’s announcers, but it was American Caroline Marks who took home the gold Monday in the women’s shortboard surfing competition, edging out Weston-Webb, who earned silver.
"I'm just really happy and just trying to soak everything in because it's probably the best day in my life," Marks told USA Today after her win. "Once they announced (Weston-Webb) didn't get enough, I just burst into tears. Just super emotional — your whole life goes into a moment like this, so it's just really special.”
Marks had stepped back from competition in 2022, later citing medical and mental health issues, but made a return to the World Surf League the next year and was declared the world champ at the WSL Finals in 2023.
Her comeback continued Monday with the gold medal win after earning a two-wave score of 10.50, surpassing Weston-Webb’s score of 10.33.
“Dreams come true,” she wrote on Instagram along with a photo of her smiling and clutching her medal. “[A]ll glory to God.”
Johanne Defay, of France, took bronze.
The men’s surfing competition also wrapped up Monday when France’s Kauli Vaast took gold, ahead of silver medalist Jack Robinson of Australia and Gabriel Medina of Brazil.
Vaast, a native of Tahiti, had the home field advantage having surfed Teahupo’s waves most his life and clinched the win with a final score of 17.67.
Many may recall that Medina made headlines last week during the competition when a stunning photo emerged of him seemingly walking on water as he pointed to the sky. The gravity defying image was snapped July 29 by Agence France Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet.
