By Dan Walsh
Once banished from the heaviest wave in competitive surfing because it was deemed too dangerous for women to ride, Teahupo’o local and Olympic gold medal favourite Vahine Fierro has won the Tahiti Pro on a historic day for the sport.
Fierro became the first women’s wildcard to claim victory at Teahupo’o, in pristine, heaving waves ranging from 2.5 to 3.5 metres, as Brazilian veteran Tatiana Weston-Webb also delivered what the World Surfing League believes is the first “perfect 10” in Tahiti by a woman, with the governing body describing it as “quite possibly one of the best barrels ever ridden in competition”.
For 15 years between 2006 and 2021, only men’s contests were held by the WSL at Teahupo’o due to safety concerns, despite the likes of Australian icon Layne Beachley arguing at the time that “not one girl on tour doesn’t have the guts to take off now”.
Olympic gold goes on the line at Teahupo’o in July. And Fierro and Weston-Webb have thrown down the gauntlet with one of the most thrilling heats in women’s surfing history.
Weston-Webb’s jaw-dropping 10-point barrel on a spitting 2.5-metre wave came against Fierro, who had already racked up two eight-point rides and a compelling lead.
“It was obviously a bomb [with] really good direction,” Weston-Webb said of the first perfect 10 ridden by a woman at Teahupo’o.
Perfect 10: Weston-Webb celebrates an incredible ride.Credit: WSL
“I knew I needed to go and get a good score to try and make the heat, and when I was paddling and looking down, I was [thinking], ‘Just make the drop and then you can barrel’.
“I caught a little edge and then from there I was just like ‘stay calm’ and all of a sudden it was just a little tunnel. When I came out I couldn’t believe it. I was just beyond myself screaming … This is women’s surfing. We’re doing it. I feel like I won the contest but obviously I didn’t.“”
Fierro answered in kind with her own 9.63 ride in response to claim a thrilling semi-final, going on to down Costa Rican Brissa Hennessy in the final.
The 24-year-old Tahitian does not compete on the Championship Tour but has been described as “the most barrelled woman in the world” in surfing circles given her prowess at Teahupo’o and in waves of consequence.
She has qualified for Paris 2024 and given her form and local knowledge at Teahupo’o, is regarded as a genuine medal contender, particularly the bigger and heavier the wave gets.
“Thank you to [WSL commissioner] Jessi [Myley Dyer] for trusting the women, because we were more than capable out there,” Fierro said after her historic win.
“It’s just insane. Thank you Teahupo’o, you’re so special, and thank you for sending me the best waves of my life … Teahupo’o is for the women after all.”
Australia’s Molly Picklum fell to Fierro in a slow quarter-final, while Tyler Wright went down at the same stage to Weston-Webb.
Heat fixtures released on Thursday morning for the Olympics have drawn Picklum in the toughest first round – pitting the 21-year-old up against Weston-Webb and American prodigy Caity Simmers when the world’s best surfers return in July.
With swell continuing to build throughout the day, excellent nine-point rides from Americans Cole Houshmand, Crosby Colapinto, Jake Marshall and Barron Mamiya and Moroccan Ramzi Boukhiam made for an incredible day’s surfing when the men hit the water.
Australian and defending Tahiti Pro champion Jack Robinson was a shock casualty on Thursday, going down in a tense heat to good friend and travelling companion Yago Dora (Brazil) despite producing scores of 8.03 and 7.87.
Tahitian local wildcard Mihimana Braye delivered another boilover as well when he eliminated world No.1 Griffin Colapinto to advance to the round of 16.
clarification
The World Surfing League has clarified that its record-keeping process is being reviewed given the change in event ownership since the Tahiti Pro’s early years under a different judging format. It’s believed Weston-Webb’s ride is the first perfect 10 score in which all judges involved awarded a maximum 10 out of 10 score.