PARIS — Carissa Moore, the American surfer and reigning Olympic gold medalist, wants to do more than entertain while trying to defend her title.
Another hope: Impact viewers as she and the other surfers compete during the 2024 Paris Games on one of the most dangerous waves in the world.
In Teahupo’o, a village on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, they will ride through the barrel of powerful, hollowed out waves that are as tall as 25 feet and can drive surfers into a sharp, shallow reef.
“For anyone watching, yeah, it’s a scary wave and hopefully it inspires other people out there to face their fears,’’ said Moore, 31. “Facing your fears isn’t necessarily about overcoming them. It’s finding a way to show up even though you’re shaky and even through you maybe don’t think you can but you try anyway.’
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel
Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from
Moore, who won gold at the Tokyo Games during surfing’s Olympic debut, is confronting her own fears in and out of the water. First, she is preparing to ride the waves of Teahupo’o that have killed at least one surfer and last year hospitalized big-wave rider Tom Lowe and Australian pro surfer Ethan Ewing. Second, Moore stopped competing full-time on the World Surf League tour this season as she prepares to enter a new phase of her life. Eventually she wants to start a family with her husband, Luke.
“There’ve been good days, really good days, where I feel like I’m on the right path,’ she said. “And then there are days where, oof, this is harder than I thought it would be.’
Why Carissa Moore passed up WSL events to train in Tahiti
In 2021, two months after winning the Olympic gold, Moore won the Rip Curl WSL Finals for her fifth world championship.
“That’s kind of when I was like, ‘OK, what more do I want from this sport?’” Moore said. “Or from the competitive side. And what’s going to be meaningful for me?”
As the grind of the World Surf League tour began to wear her down, she yearned for something that would leave her fulfilled before embarking on a new chapter in her life. The answer became clearer with the Paris Games about a year away. She wanted to focus on defending her Olympic title. That, she decided, would require spending a significant amount of time training at Teahupo’o.
As a result, Moore has competed in only two events this season on the World Surf League (WSL) tour, rather than the approximately 10 she has averaged over the past five seasons. It’s allowed her to spend about two months surfing at Teahupoʻo. It’s cost her the validation she got on tour, where in 13 years she won 28 events and had 50 other top-three finishes.
“It’s super scary,’ Moore said. “It’s crazy to take such a leap of faith on a year like this. But it felt right, it feels right.
“I have to trust in that for me, that’s probably even one of the biggest lessons this year is how do I find that belief in yourself when you maybe don’t have the outside validation you’ve always had? I don’t have the results to tell me, ‘Hey, you’re on the right path right now.’ But I got to find it somehow.’
How Carissa Moore’s relationship with the Teahupo’o wave has evolved
Moore wants to make something clear for those expecting her to win another gold medal.
“I’m not the one on top of the mountain saying, ‘Hey, I’m the favorite for this thing,” she said.
One of her two WSL events came in May at Teahupo’o. She and the other top surfers could not outduel France’s Vahiné Fierro, a 23-year-old Polynesian who is relatively unknown on the pro circuilt but lives and trains in Teahupo’o.
“She has an intimate relationship with that wave and it’s sort of like, ‘Wow, lucky for her,” said Chris Moore, Carissa’s father who has coached her through much of her career.
Carissa Moore indicated her relationship with the Teahupo’o wave still is a work in progress.
“With the Olympics being this year, Teahupo’o’s a wave that really deserves the time, effort and attention to really get to know it,’ she said. “And so making a departure from competing full time on the championship tour has given me a chance and opportunity to spend some more time down in Tahiti, which has been such a fun process and something I’ve really enjoyed.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get comfortable there, but I’m getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable. I think I’ve definitely gotten to know the lineup a little bit better and what different types of waves look like on the reef.’
What’s next for Carissa Moore?
Leaving the WSL tour did more than afford Moore time to focus on preparing for the Olympics. It also gave her freedom.
“I think for me, it’s that time in my life where I’m like, ‘Yeah, I want to follow the joy. What’s going to bring me more joy in my life and what’s meaningful?’
“Everything’s definitely different and unknown, and I think that in itself is exciting. It’s challenging. But I think it’s really been pushing some personal growth, which I think is good for myself as a person to evolve and see what I’m made of and what I can be.’
Moore said her new direction stems in part from her wanting to start a family.
“At some point, if you want to have a child, as a woman you have to take a leave of absence from what you’re doing, especially from an professional athletic career. And I think just allowing myself to have that space and grace to do that, that’s super meaningful to me. I would love to have a family of my own.’
But the plan is for surfing to remain an integral part Moore’s life.
“I still want to push my performance surfing,’ she said. “I still see surfing being a part of my life on a daily basis. I still want to be a professional surfer and work with my sponsors to create inspiring, motivating, positive content for others to hopefully inspire them to live their dreams.’