Let the games begin.
Japan has officially thrown its kasa into the five rings. Overnight, in a stunning move that will certainly have surf fans of geopolitical theater cackling, the Land of the Rising Sun announced that Australia’s Connor O’Leary will surf for its Olympic squad in Tahiti. The current world number 10 joins Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi and Chiba’s Reo Inaba on the stacked team that will certainly be a medal favorite at the “Cave of Skulls.”
Taking to Instagram, O’Leary declared, ““So excited to officially announce that I will be representing Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Thank you to the NSA & the JOC for the incredible opportunity. Tahiti here we come.”
The aforementioned surf fans of geopolitical theater were shocked due to the fact that Japan gets to field three surfers, on the men’s side, instead of two. Brazil, of course, won an extra man slot, which will go to Gabriel Medina, after the nation of Order and Progress placed highest at the just-wrapped International Surfing Association’s World Surfing Games. Japan, everyone forgot and/or never knew, apparently won a bonus place for placing highest at some 2022 Huntington Beach competition.
Will the draw possibly set, which country is the official favorite heading into the July/August extravaganza? Brazil does have Medina, as mentioned, and Joao Chianca though the charger has been injured since a dramatic wipeout at Pipeline. It also sports Filipe Toledo who is scared and defensive. Like a recently bathed gerbil. The U.S. has John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto but that’s all. Australia, also shorted, has Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing.
Japan, with Igarashi, Inaba and O’Leary has to be favorite adjacent though a brewing battle as to who is the “face” of Japanese surfing might undo the team like it has the great boy bands of old.
*NSYNC etc.
No?
Discuss.
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jfc
moderators/interlopers/booth voices quads available…low volume low risk…FM? AM! Peniche?
Errrr I think you mean Lulu, Jen. Lulu Lulu Lulu Lulu Lulu ok Joe we fucking get it! You know Lulu!
Connor passed on Irish Stout & Iranians for Emperors Respect, Katannas & Gieshas. Fair enough. 🤷🏼♂️
Gieshas for the win.
Oh, Tainá. Wow, she’s like legitimately Brazilian!
Until she talks portuguese like a 5 year old
I thought she was #2?
Well,nips are meant to be milked.
Kanoa has big money sponnos in Asahi beer, Casio etc.
Can’t blame ’em for having a yen for grabbing the cash whilst they can.
Eddie Jones has been a master at it for years.
Eddie would go.
Connor-san can think himself fucking lucky because according to the rules he left his change of nation request too late and should not have been eligible. Must have gotten the “special consideration” from the IOC.
Pro surfers – still complete fuckheads
Imagine being a guy born and raised in Japan, who learned to surf in Japan, and who otherwise might have had one of the Olympic spots that Kanoa and Conner now occupy, have to sit at home this summer and watch these Western born and raised CT surfers who have never lived full time in Japan, and who ditched their respective flags for the Rising Sun well after their professional careers were already under way
Probably would not have encountered this issue if the IOC still had an amateur-athlete requirement.
Oh well, should’ve surfed better.
Damn. Should we root for the best surfers in the best waves, or the most *insert nationality* surfers getting completely fucked the fuck up so that the point can be proven that surfing is hard and not for everyone all of the time everywhere?
To be honest, I’m not sure myself.
Bit like crowded house and split enz.
I skimmed the article and thought for a minute you were talking about Conner Coffin
O’Reary?!!!…
The stab audience liked this joke a little more last week–proving that frequenters of beachgrit have a more sophisticated pallet.
What happened to Ethan Wing? I thought he was surfing for Australia, too.
Nah, he’s flying
How is Brazil’s hunt for a third woman who surfs going?
They’ll give it to Gabby’s half-sister.
As if there were any doubt.
Let the flagship games of convenience begin.
Just to note that Brazil have another doughty competitor taking part. Though he’s pretending to be something he’s not. Forza Jesse.
lets call it what it is – A mercenary disguised as a patriot,
I’d to it too but Im a full career/money whore.
Igarashi is just hello kitty of surfing.
or K-pop? Ahh…Nevermind thats Korean.
J pop!
Iggy pop!
🎶” I am a passenger & I’ll ride & I’ll ride.” Piggy Op
When’s sharp eye bringing out the tamagotchi model ?
He’d have a better shot at a medal in speed walking.
So, do I watch Paris Olympics 2024 Breakdancing as a warm-up for Olympic Surfing, or as a cool-down to Olympic Surfing?
https://youtu.be/yg-OoztAOn…
What in the wide wide world of WHAT THE FUCKS!! You’re serious about the breakdancing.
Oh yeah, fucking breakdancing is now an Olympic sport. It got approved for Paris at the same time as surfing. Super fucking weird if you ask me.
“Recently bathed gerbil” is the most important take away from this article
Particularly so since it refers to Pip’s cowardly performances at spots such as Chopes. It’s a fitting comparison, for sure.
Particularly, where had the gerbil been to require the wash.
Japanese fans are gonna have a hard time pronouncing his last name…..”O’ Reary”!
Well played
Well Prayed
I dated a girl in japan whose email address was “chocoratecake@” jeez i lol”d.
What do you call a Japanese lady with one leg longer than the other?
Irene