The Five Surfers to Watch Out for in Tokyo 2020

The debut of surfing as one of the events in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics is unprecedented. In fact, it’s one of the most anticipated competitions in this year’s Olympic stage when 40 surfers—20 women and 20 men—will compete to get the historical distinction of being the first to win a medal in surfing at the biggest sporting stage in the world.

Here are five of the surfers that you need to watch out for in Tokyo 2020:

• Carissa Moore. The four-time World Surf League Women’s World Tour champion and No.1 seed in the Champions Tour is going into the surfing event representing the United States as a medal favorite.

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• Gabriel Medina. This Brazilian champion is ranked No.1 in the World Surf League’s Championship Tour and the reigning world champion in men’s surfing after winning in 2019. He is a medal favorite in this year’s Olympics together with fellow Brazilian and world champion Italo Ferreira.
• Stephanie Gilmore. Offering some stiff competition against Carissa Moore is Australian and seven-time WSL world title holder Stephanie Gilmore who already achieved the most world championships won in women’s surfing. At 33, this legend is set to add one more achievement to her portfolio, an Olympic medal.
• John John Florence. After undergoing an ACL surgery in 2019 and a knee surgery two months ago, American surfer and two0time world champion John John Florence is set to make a comeback at the Tokyo Olympics. Known for being calm under pressure, Florence is now an early crowd favorite to win a medal in men’s surfing.
• Kanoa Igarashi. Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without a favorite from the host country. Kanoa Igarashi grew up in Huntington Beach, California, but his father used to surf in Tsurigasaki Beach, the venue of this year’s Olympics. Ranking 6^th in the world, Igarashi is expected to bring home the medal for the Japanese this year.

Which of these surfers is your favorite to win the medal? With surfing being one of the newest events in the Olympics, it will surely bring an exciting and intense vibe for both spectators and surfers.