A year after having engraved his name in the foam of the Olympic Games, Kauli Vaast finds the Teahupoo wave, Thursday August 7, from 7 am (7 p.m. in Paris) on the occasion of Tahiti Pro, a stage of the world surf championship circuit. The 23 -year -old Frenchman benefited from an invitation from the World Surf League (WSL), in charge of the organization of professional competitions in the discipline.
Any Olympic champion he is, Kauli Vaast has been playing for five seasons in Series Challengers, the world division. However, in Teahupoo, he will face athletes evolving within the elite, the Championship Tour. Despite this status, he will be one of the favorites. “It is the best on this wave. He targets victory. He would not be happy with another result ”explains to Monde His trainer, Joan Duru. And for good reason, Kauli Vaast knows her perfectly, he who grew up in Vairao, 8 kilometers from this mythical blade, which hypnotizes as much as it terrifies.
By dint of countless sessions in front of his wall of water, he learned to read each thrill, each breath. As a secret language. Each year, on this Dantesque scene, the surfing Gotha comes to challenge this raw force of the Pacific. « [Teahupoo] is very dangerousrecognizes his coach, who finished 5ᵉ of the 2024 Olympic Games. You have to spend a lot of time there to tame it and not injure yourself. »»
You have 68.63% of this article to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.