On the performance of Yang Siqi (Yang made it into the women's last 16 as the youngest surfer in Paris 2024)
I think she's performing great. Teahupo'o is not an easy wave. It's a novelty for her as well.
So I mean every time I think about her, I think 15, she could be in two more other Olympic Games [as a] surfer. Most surfers mature between 25 and 30 anyhow.
I think she's young, she's committed, she understands the ocean. Being in those waves for any human being is earth-shaking. It's a wave that can just destroy you and it takes a very strong mind to be in those waves, let alone paddle, stand up and go in the tube, so she is doing all of that.
And of course, you know, it's her first appearance at this level. She's not going to be the champion, most likely. But by being here, she's an Olympian. She's making history.
On the support that Yang Siqi has received from other surfers
I think there is a bond there because the environment is so powerful, so dangerous, everybody that is out there has fear. There's nobody that doesn't have fear. It's just how you manage, how you go over the fear because you need to go over the fear.
There's another part of the culture of surfing in which the athletes, the competitors get together and talk to each other and give tips to each other and help each other.
This surfing culture is a lot like skateboard culture, in which the athletes cheer and applaud the other athletes, so this is very special.
On China's surfing
I see that there is a great opportunity. You have a great population, sports is very important in China and you have a lot of good waves. So you get all the things, you get waves. I mean, imagine if you were in a country where there is no waves, no ocean, then how you access that, how you help develop good athletes without waves will be much more difficult.
I think there are waves, but I think the most important part is that you set up a realistic goal, which was a high goal, which is "let's see if we can get one Chinese athlete in the 2024 surfing competition", and that has been achieved. The leadership of the Chinese Surfing Federation, their support is key, and I hope and I believe that there will be more Chinese surfers.
The "monologue"
My name is Fernando Aguerre. I'm the president of the International Surfing Association, and I surf almost every day. I encourage all Chinese people to look at the ocean and to follow the competition. You have a fellow Chinese in the Olympic Games surfing. This is not something that would have been possible four years ago. Somebody would ask me and I would say "probably not", but reality has changed. And I'm happy that China is represented in the surfing competition in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and I hope to see more Chinese surfers in the future.
