Jack Robinson in gold medal heartbreak after Aussie makes Olympics history in surfing
Robinson fell painfully short of Olympic gold but still secured Australia's highest ever Olympic finish.
Australian Jack Robinson stunned the surfing world all week, knocking out gold medal favourite and three-time world champion Gabriel Medina and World No.1 John John Florence on the way to the Olympics final. But on Tuesday morning the Aussie fell painfully short of Olympic gold in Teahupoo, Tahiti, going down to French local Kauli Vaast.
After the competition had been delayed by days of unsuitable surf, the action recommenced on Tuesday (AEDT), with Robinson continuing his incredible Olympic run by taking out Medina in a tense semi-final. In what was an underwhelming swell at the iconic surf break, the West Australian made the most of the testing conditions, registering scores of 7.83 and 4.50.
In the end, the 26-year Western Australian scored a total of 12.33 to Medina’s one wave of 6.33. But things went the other way for the Aussie just hours later in the final, with Tahiti-born Vaast racking up two huge scores early on, leaving Robinson looking for a big wave himself.
Needing a 9.84 to take gold, the Aussie was left waiting for more than ten minutes for a gold medal-winning wave that never came. The Aussie fell 17.67 to 7.83 in the decider to the popular Vaast, who grew up just kilometres from Teahupo'o, first riding the infamous break at just eight years old. Vaast's victory will be widely celebrated in French Polynesia, with the small town hosting the Olympic surfing around 15,700 kilometres from Paris.
In calmer conditions than earlier in the tournament, Vaast perfectly picked the best waves and surfed two long barrels in two minutes, scoring a monstrous 9.50 and 8.17 in a matter of minutes. Robinson promptly replied with a 7.83 barrel run of his own, but needing a 9.84 to overtake Vaast, he couldn't find a wave to put up anything near that score. However, Robinson still can be awfully proud of himself as he made history by scoring Australia's highest-ever finish at an Olympic Games.
Owen Wright made history by winning bronze at the Tokyo Games but that feat has now been surpassed by Robinson silver in Paris. Medina recovered to win the bronze medal in Tahiti, three years after he lost the previous bronze medal match to Wright.
Jack Robinson reveals he nearly drowned in Teahupoo
Robinson revealed earlier in the Olympics that he nearly drowned when wiping out in his round of 16 heat against John John Florence. Last week the conditions in Teahupoo were wild with huge barrelling waves making high scores both difficult and dangerous.
Chasing a big score, Robinson and Florence both disappeared into the wash and required rescuing from jet-skis within seconds of each other. The Aussie survived a nasty hold-down to then paddle into a heat winning 7.17 ride out of 10, and eliminate the Hawaiian with a two-wave heat total of 13.94 to 9.07.
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Catching his breath after the thrilling heat, Robinson admitted he was relieved to be out of the water and alive. “It is the most dangerous sport in the world when it is like that," Robinson told Channel 9. "It was us and the ocean out there, just trying to work with her — it didn't come easy."
"Where I was on the inside between where the two waves collide on the right of the channel, and left of the way we're surfing, that is the most dangerous place in the whole world. It's another level when you are in there, but you try talking with God and just be safe."
with AAP
