Today Hawaii's Queen of Aloha, one of surfing's greatest competitors and cultural icons, Carissa Moore -after losing to Johanne Defay in the Quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Games-gave an emotional post-heat speech, expressing her gratitude and support she's been given, and that she "couldn't have imagined a better place to finish off [her] career", than the the Olympic event in Tahiti.
"I mean, it's very raw," Carissa said after her second Gold Medal campaign was cut short. "You put everything you have into something. I put my whole year, I took a chance. I left the tour. I came here and spent months out of the year just trying to do my very best. And when you come up short of a dream, it sucks."
"But at the same point, like, how fun was it? Like, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I would have been so bummed if I look back and been like,' Oh, I only did that half-heartedly, you know?"
"I went all in and I just hope that at the end of the day, I can encourage whoever is watching, you know, win or lose. Don't be afraid to go into it fearlessly and don't be afraid to fail. The process has been so much fun. I feel like there's been a lot of personal growth in and out of the water and I'm really proud of my backside barrel riding. I caught some waves I never thought I would have ever caught in my whole life in this process. So obviously, I'm really sad to not be a part of finals day, to get to represent my home and my family one more time. But I'm really grateful and I couldn't have imagined a better place to finish off my career. I mean, that was the plan."
"I announced my departure from the tour earlier on this year. I'm gonna give myself some time to just take a break. It's been full on, you know? It's been full on for my whole life and I'm really proud of that. I'm proud of how I've given everything. I think the last thing I just want to say is, I want to express my gratitude to everybody who been there for me and supported me, not only in this event, but my whole life. It's just nice to have a community behind you."
Born on Oahu's South Shore in 1992, Carissa Moore grew up like so many Hawaiian groms, learning to surf at Waikiki as waves like Baby Queens, before moving up to Kewalos Basin and Ala Moana Bowls, which have shaped countless Hawaiian champions over the last fifty years, from Gerry Lopez and Dane Kealoaha to Derek and Michael Ho.
Carissa started to collect NSSA National Titles at 11 years old, eventually winning 11 amateur Titles, as well as winning the ISA World Junior Championship. At 16, she won the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Hale'iwa, the youngest surfer to ever win a Triple Crown of Surfing event.
In 2010 Carissa qualified for the World Championship Tour, won two Championship Tour events and the Rookie of the Year, finishing fifth overall. She followed her debut year by taking out three events and winning her first World Title in 2011; beating out 4x defending champ Stephanie Gilmore. A friendly but fierce rivalry that would continue throughout their careers on tour.
For several years, Moore was a part of one of surfing's most impressive and high-paid crews ever assembled, the Nike/Hurley team comprising John John Florence, Kolohe Andino, Michel Bourez, Julian Wilson, Lakey Peterson, and others.
While collecting three more Titles and winning 28 World Championship Tour events over the last ten years, the 5x World Champion has been named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, won multiple Surfer Poll Awards, Glamour's Woman of the Year, and the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing three times.
At surfing's debut in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Carissa became surfing's first Gold Medalist, bringing the title back to Honolulu, the birthplace of surfing and Duke Kahanamoku's dream of surfing's Olympic inclusion.
Regardless if Moore decides to return to competition at some point, her competitive and cultural legacy can't be overstated, even at the young age of 31 years old.
From the surfing world, Mahalo Riss, for everything.