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On August 5, while Brazilian athlete Weston-Webb and Costa Rican athlete Hennessy competed in a women\u2019s semifinal surfing match at the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, a whale breached in the distance, providing a picture-perfect sight.<\/p>\n
According to the\u00a0Associated Press<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0CBS News<\/a>, in Tahiti\u2014site of the Paris Games\u2019 surfing competition and almost 10,000 miles away from the host city of Paris\u2014whales gather around the islands during mating, birthing, and migration seasons. Tahiti also has several maritime protected zones.<\/p>\n Oh wow, a whale steals the show during the Olympic surfing.#Olympics<\/a> #Tahiti<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZviUcSir7i<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nick Metcalfe (@Nick_Metcalfe) August 6, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Indigenous leaders in Tahiti were among those from several island nations who signed a treaty\u00a0granting whales legal personhood earlier this year, a step aimed at pressuring governments to do more to protect them from threats like climate change and noise pollution.<\/p>\n Weston-Webb moved on to the finals later that day, facing off against American Caroline Marks<\/strong>. Marks, who finished fourth in Tokyo, ultimately brought home the gold for Team USA.<\/p>\n \u201cTo win the final, you had to get in the barrel, which is what you dream of when you surf Teahupo\u2019o,\u201d she said afterward, referring to the infamous wave. \u201cOverall, I\u2019m really happy. It was an amazing day.\u201d<\/p>\n Weston-Webb took home silver, and France\u2019s Johanne Defay<\/strong> clinched bronze.<\/p>\n GABRIEL MEDINA TAKES FLIGHT. \u2708\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a<\/p>\n Still in awe of this photo. #ParisOlympics<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/kBzJRJZmpW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The whale breach wasn\u2019t the only show-stopping moment in the surfing competition at the Games. A photo of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina<\/strong><\/a> appearing to float mid-air went viral on July 29 after photographer Jerome Brouillet<\/strong> from Agence France-Presse captured the moment.<\/p>\n Medina defeated the 2021 Tokyo surfing winner, Kanoa Igarashi<\/strong>, on the third day of the Games. With his almost-perfect score of 9.90, he marked the highest-scoring wave in Olympic history. The victory was accompanied by a legendary picture capturing the surfer with his pointer finger up as he floated mid-air, his surfboard in a perfect stance behind him.<\/p>\n The photo has garnered nearly 9 million likes on Medina\u2019s Instagram<\/a> alone. Photographer Brouillet shared on his Instagram<\/a> that \u201cGabriel was in the water at the right place, at the right time, and so was I,\u201d adding that his phone still \u201chasn\u2019t stopped beeping.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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