For the second straight Olympic Games, a female surfer with Hawaii ties will go home with a medal.
Kauai resident Tatiana Weston-Webb, representing Brazil, earned the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics after losing a head-to-head competition with Caroline Marks of the U.S. at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday. It was the first medal for Brazil in women's surfing since the sport was introduced to the Olympics for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Marks edged Weston-Webb, 10.50 to 10.33 in the final.
Weston-Webb, 28, was born in Brazil but raised in Hawaii. She knocked out a fellow surfer with Hawaii ties representing another country, Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica, in the semifinals, 13.66 to 6.17.
Hennessy lost to France’s Johanne Defay, 12.66 to 4.93, in the bronze medal matchup.
Punahou alumna Carissa Moore was the first woman to win a gold medal in surfing at the Tokyo Games held in 2021. Moore was knocked out in the Paris quarterfinal round last week.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.