Kauli Vaast celebrates after his successful performance in the final
Image: Keystone
The 22-year-old Frenchman Kauli Vaast grew up in Teahupo'o, where he has now secured Olympic gold with aplomb
Image: Keystone
Kauli Vaast shows the Olympic gold medal he won on the podium, the 13th for host nation France at these Summer Games
Image: Keystone
Caroline Marks from the USA won the gold medal in the women's event
Image: Keystone
Caroline Marks beat Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb in the final
Image: Keystone
Kauli Vaast celebrates after his successful performance in the final
Image: Keystone
The 22-year-old Frenchman Kauli Vaast grew up in Teahupo'o, where he has now secured Olympic gold with aplomb
Image: Keystone
Kauli Vaast shows the Olympic gold medal he won on the podium, the 13th for host nation France at these Summer Games
Image: Keystone
Caroline Marks from the USA won the gold medal in the women's event
Image: Keystone
Caroline Marks beat Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb in the final
Image: Keystone
Tahitian-born Frenchman Kauli Vaast has won gold in surfing with a near-perfect performance in Teahupo'o on Tahiti.
Vaast, who grew up in the surfing mecca on the Pacific island 15,000 kilometers from Paris, caught the waves best on the final day. The 22-year-old local hero, who sported a mullet/mohawk haircut from his younger brother, was the first to ride through a long, deep tube and scored 9.5 out of 10 points.
This drew cheers from the spectator boats and a small fan zone. Later, Vaast managed another excellent score for some sharp turns, giving him a very high total of 17.67 points and a clear victory ahead of Australia's Jack Robinson.
Gold favorite Gabriel Medina from Brazil was defeated by Robinson in the semi-final, in which he found too few usable waves. Medina's jubilation after a successful wave ride in the quarter-finals was captured in one of the most iconic photos of these summer games. In the final, there was another unusual image to marvel at: a whale leapt out of the Pacific Ocean behind the surfers.
American world champion Caroline Marks took the gold medal in the women's event. Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb won silver and Johanne Defay from France took bronze.
