CHIBA, Japan – American Carissa Moore, the top-ranked women’s surfer in the world, found a new way to validate her spot at the apex of the sport.
She won an Olympic gold medal – the first for women's surfing.
With the sport making its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games, Moore beat Bianca Buitendag of South Africa on Tuesday in the gold medal match at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach.
Moore took the lead over Buitendag and never gave it up, winning 14.93-8.46. She was carried off the bench on her coaches' shoulders.
It was a long day for Moore, 28, who beat Silvana Lima of Brazil in the quarterfinals and then fended off Amuro Tsuzuki of Japan in the semifinals.