TEAHUPO'O, French Polynesia - The iconic waves of Teahupo'o in Tahiti await Japanese surfers at the Paris Olympics, with glory available to those capable of overcoming their fear to tame the famous reef break's combination of power and size.
Tokyo Games silver medalist Kanoa Igarashi, who first rode French Polynesian waves around the age of 12, calls them the most "perfect" but "dangerous" in the world, a sentiment shared by his compatriot, Summer Games debutant Reo Inaba.
"It feels like jumping off a building," Inaba said of the moment he drops into a Teahupo'o wave, many of which can surge to more than double his height.
"(But) Tahiti is a place where you can realize your dream as a surfer."
Located over 15,000 kilometers away from the French capital and seemingly far from the heart of the Paris Games, the site has seen deaths in the past when surfers are caught inside the impact zone and slammed on the shallow and jagged coral reef.
Tereva David, a local surfer who coaches Japanese Olympians including Australia-born Connor O'Leary, recalls telling his pupils to "stay calm" and "literally not to die" having experienced waves scaling eight to 10 meters himself.
The intense conditions saw the women's World Surf League Championship Tour skip the spot from 2006, before returning in 2022. A push to deliver gender equality and the developing skill level of the surfers made the move possible.
"You can't see what lies ahead in life until you have tried many things. I hope to inspire Japanese girls, too," Japan's only female surfer competing at the Paris Games, Shino Matsuda, said after making several trips to Tahiti.
Wave selection -- choosing the best and largest swell -- in Teahupo'o will be vital in getting scores closer to a perfect 10, leading Japan's surfers to spend more days at the spot to better prepare for the challenge ahead.
"It will come down to how deep into the barrel they can go and how long they can stay there," Japan coach Masatoshi Ono said.
Related coverage:
Surfing: Kanoa Igarashi suffers early exit at Olympics rehearsal in Tahiti
Surfing: Connor O'Leary fills final Japan men's spot for Paris Olympics
Surfing: Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Amuro Tsuzuki misses Paris Games
