- Surfers will face tough breaks in French Polynesia for the Paris Olympics
- The place is called the ‘gladiator pit’ and has claimed five professional lives
- The Australian Olympic hopeful talks about the time she was almost one of them
Surfing in Tahiti may seem like paradise rather than a life-threatening Olympic event, but Australian star Molly Picklum has revealed how she almost died riding the wave that will be used for the Paris Games.
Surfing finally entered the Olympic program for the Tokyo 2020 Games and will return for Paris 2024.
As Paris is not known for its gnarly surfing waves, competitors will head to Teahupo’o, Tahiti, to compete, as it is a French territory.
Teahupo’o can produce waves of two to four feet during the four days of the Olympics, changing the game for the 48 men and women competing for medals.
Competitors call it “a gladiatorial pit” because of the dangerous waves caused by waves hitting Tahiti’s rapidly growing seabed.
Five surfers have died at this location, including big wave surfer Thierry Vernaudon and local Briece Taerea a week before the CT event in 2000.
Molly Picklum is world number 3 and one of the main medal hopes for the Paris Olympics in surfing
Picklum has already taken on the tough breaks in Teahupo’o, where the Olympic event will take place this year.
Australian surfer and world number 3 Molly Picklum almost joined them.
During training, she tackled a huge wave at Teahupo’o and received praise on Instagram from seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore and big wave record holder Laura Enever.
But a moment of luck saved her from becoming another victim of the “gladiator pit.”
“I probably didn’t understand that wave before,” he said.
But I suffered the worst defeat of my life and I am better for it. I jumped off a jet ski right into the biggest barrel I’d ever had at 6am, still waking up, and got hit with four or five more waves on the head.
“I had the ski picking him up every time and that’s when I was very, very grateful, because without them I’d probably be dead.”
Picklum was almost one of the professional surfers who lost his life fighting Teahupo’o.
Now the Australian hopeful is ready to “dance with the devil” again in Teahupo’o for the Olympics.
The 21-year-old from the New South Wales Central Coast feels she has the advantage over many rivals and says she can see their fear as they sit in the line-up at Teahupo’o, where strong waves break on a shallow reef.
“I think in competition, there are two things that happen in women: obviously the competitiveness of just wanting to win, but also the fear that you can see in a lot of the girls,” Picklum said.
‘Not only are they trying to win, but they are also facing some internal challenges.
“When I see fear, it gives me a little more confidence because I feel a little more comfortable in the situation, so I can focus more on the job at hand, rather than being distracted by fear or feeling uncomfortable.”
Picklum follows a mental checklist when paddling dangerous breaks like Teahupo’o.
He used to hate big waves, but now he embraces the “intense emotion” that comes with them. “I have a very clear understanding of what I’m getting into every time I’m in there,” Picklum said.
“I make that conscious decision whenever, yes, there is a potential consequence, but also the other side of that is potentially the most magical experience.
“I’m willing to dance with the devil a little bit to maybe have that magical moment, and I think that mentality is what keeps me pretty calm, comfortable, and wanting to give this wave a good shot.”