Surfing is one of the newest sports included in the Olympic Games, and at Paris 2024, it will be returning for just the second time ever.
Australian surfer Owen Wright won Australia’s first and only medal in the sport – bronze – so this year’s athletes will be hoping to add more hardware to the cabinet.
When Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku visited Australia in 1915, and brought surfing with him, the sport became a huge part of Australia’s beach culture and way of life.
Over the past 100 plus years, there have been countless Australian world champions and icons in surfing. Names like Mick Fanning, Stephanie Gilmore, Layne Beachley, Owen Wright, Sally Fitzgibbons and Joel Parkinson, among many others, have become etched into the minds of Aussies everywhere.
As the next generation of Australian surfing greats come through, many spectators will be keeping a close eye on them, especially at the Olympic Games.
In 2024, Australia is sending four surfers to the Paris Olympics – two men and two men.
Ethan Ewing, Jack Robinson, Molly Picklum and Tyler Wright will all be catching waves in Tahiti.
Ethan Ewing is a 25-year-old who hails from North Stradbroke Island in Queensland.
Ethan’s late mother, Helen Lambert, was a surfing prodigy herself and won the Rip Curl Pro as an 18-year-old in 1983. Exactly 40 years on, Ethan went on to win a title at Bells Beach too.
“It’s been my biggest goal in my career to win this,” he said after his win. “All my heroes have won this – Joel [Parkinson], Mick [Fanning], Kelly [Slater], the girls – Steph [Gilmore], Carissa [Moore], and then my mum back in ‘83. It is an honour to compete here. To put my name up there with her – it’s really special.”
Ethan Ewing is currently Australia’s second highest-ranked surfer behind Jack Robinson.
Jack Robinson is from Margaret River in Western Australia and is 26 years old.
Jack has been surfing since 2011, where he was described as the “best 12-year-old surfer on the planet.” And he’s only continued to get better from there.
The 26-year-old has won multiple titles over the course of his career, and has become known for his poise, calm assurance and powerful, aggressive style.
After a heartbreaking injury last year kept him out of the water for four months, Jack was finally able to make his return to the sport just in time for the Olympics.
“I had to give my everything for the recovery so I could qualify for the 2024 Olympics,” he said. “It was really challenging as I was putting in four or five hours of physio/rehab work a day, but we got through it and I’m so happy to have qualified for the Olympics and have the chance to bring a medal to Australia.”
As for the women, Molly Picklum hails from Terrigal in New South Wales, and is currently 21 years of age.
Molly has had a stellar start to the year in 2024, recording a 9.67 wave to secure the win in a competition in Hawaii.
The young gun is expected to be one of the leading medal contenders at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Australia’s fourth and final Olympic surfer is 30-year-old Tyler Wright from Nowra in New South Wales.
Tyler is known for her powerful and aggressive style, as well as her advocacy for mental health and diversity in surfing.
She has won multiple Rip Curl Pros at Bell’s Beach, and is hoping to secure an Olympic medal at the 2024 games.
Surfing is taking place in Teahupo’o in Tahiti, and competition kicked off on 28 July.
The quarter finals begin on 31 July, with the men’s taking place at 3.00am AEST, and the women’s at 5.24am.
The semis will be held on the same day at 7.48am AEST for the men, and 9.00am for the women.
The 2024 Olympic bronze medal match will take place on 31 July at 10.12am AEST for men, and 10.53am for women.
Finally, the men’s surfing gold medal match will be held on Wednesday 31 July at 11.34am AEST, while the women’s Olympic final will be at 12.15pm AEST.
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