Surfing: medalists from the other side of the planet

An expression of immense pride for French surfing supported by Banque Populaire! The first two French Olympic surfing medals in the history of the Games were won in Tahiti, with the Tahitian Kauli Vaast, supported on an individual basis by the Caisse d’Epargne Ile-de-France, claiming gold, and Johanne Defay from Reunion Island, winning bronze.

Immense joy for French surfing!

JJacques Lajuncomme, the delighted president of the French Surfing Federation that Banque Populaire has been partnering since 2019, said he felt “out of this world… and Kauli and Johanne will forever remain the first French surfers to win Olympic medals. In Polynesia, surfing is more than just a sport. It’s where surfing first originated, especially in Tahiti. The “Mana” – the sacred force associated with a place – was present for Kauli who benefited from the two finest waves of the series…”

The ideal wave

You couldn’t go to sleep if you wanted to witness this incredible event, the victory won by Kauli Vaast, supported by the Caisse d’Epargne Ile-de-France, riding the mythical Teahupo’o wave in Tahiti. With its 12-hour time difference, this is the medal won the furthest distance from the heart of the Olympic Games in Paris. But, despite the distance, Kauli Vaast is nevertheless a true gold medalist of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and the images of the surfing competition beamed back to Europe will forever remain among the finest of all the Games.

It was a brilliant idea to organize the competition in this part of the world, and a choice that will forever remain a defining moment in Kauli’s destiny. Although the surfing competition took place far from France, and Kauli Vaast rode this legendary wave at the same time as the Olympic Cauldron was blazing high in the evening sky of Paris, he is certainly the French medalist who was closest to his home when he received his medal. This is because Kauli, who was born and raised in the north of the island of Tahiti, later settled with his parents opposite the famous Teahupo’o surf spot. The family home is located just a few short kilometers from the Olympic site. Kauli got his first taste of surfing at an early age, on the longboard belonging to his parents who placed him on it supported by buoys. It wasn’t long before his entire life began to revolve around the contours of this magnificent wave as he became intimately familiar with every swirl and eddy of this sublime body of water.

So far, yet so near

His knowledge of the spot proved to be decisive in his conquest of the Olympic title. In the final, he immediately caught an exquisite wave that began to rise and form a long tube into which he disappeared with the water crashing over him only to emerge at the very end. The length of the tube, and the time he spent in it, put him clearly ahead in the competition because no wave similar to his would emerge in the time allotted for the final. The depth of his understanding of the spot spoke for itself. In this way Kauli – which means “he who goes swimming” in Polynesian – became Olympic champion in the very place where he learnt this discipline, where he became the athlete he is, in this majestic environment with which his name will forever be joined. The same man who, in the early hours of the morning or at sunset, might be tempted to pick up his board and go surfing just for the fun of it on the waves that have given him so much (as well as causing him some terrible frights), will be able to dwell on the memories of what he describes as “the best day of his life.”

An unforgettable night watched from Metropolitan France, and a great day for French overseas territories, where two young surfers from the other side of the planet put their names at the top of the Olympic podium for the very first time!

For further details about Banque Populaire’s support for surfing, click here!

To learn more about which athletes, para athletes, and teams supported by Groupe BPCE companies are present at Paris 2024: