Hawaii's Olympic surfers pave the way for next generation of local athletes

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Surfing made its Olympic debut back in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

In that time, the popularity of competitive surfing has only grown here in Hawaii thanks to the athletes that call these islands home.

Hawaii couldn’t have better global surfing ambassadors than John John Florence and Carissa Moore.

With 7 World titles between the two of them and Carissa’s gold Medal moment in Tokyo, it’s no surprise that they’ve become the role models for groms across the state.

“That’s probably the most important part of being a professional athlete is the way you carry yourself, the way you embody yourself as both an athlete, but as a surfer itself too,” World Surf League bilingual broadcaster told Hawaii News Now.

“We’re supposed to be portrayals of what Duke Kahanamoku wanted us to be, which is just be good people and water women and watermen just the relevance that they have right now and them being (in Tahiti), I think is really empowering for a lot of young surfers to look up for them.”

Florence and Moore are two of five surfers born in Hawaii to compete in this year’s games, all carrying on the legacy that was set by the watermen before them.

“Duke’s dream has really come into fruition and it’s been incredible to see,” ‘Iolani graduate Sunny Kazama said. “I think because of the huge spotlight that is now on surfing.”

For Hawaii’s rising stars, seeing those athletes reach the pinnacle of the sport allows them to dream even bigger.

“I know that it’s possible now for young Hawaiians like me to get up there on an Olympic level in surfing,” Kamehameha surfer Puaiohi Defries said. “I think that it’s cool that surfing is taking such a developing curve.”

The need for competitive high school surfing has also grown here in the islands. The Honua Finals recently took place at Ala Moana Bowls, Hawaii’s first interscholastic contest featuring teams from around the world, the brain child of ‘Iolani graduate Sunny Kazama.

“It was like one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Kazama said. “It was super fun meeting all of the teams, whether they’re from Outer Island or from out of state or out of the country.”

The global event shining a light on the ever expanding youth surfing movement in Hawaii as competitive surfing is not a sanctioned state sport.

“I think it’s long overdue,” Kazama said. “I think that if we can do it at the highest level in athletics, the Olympics, then we can do it at the high school level and I think it is very fitting considering that we are in Hawaii and it is our sport.”

The Olympic surfing competition is expected to resume through the rest of the week.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.