The Teahupo’o whisperer who catches fish while he surfs, along with eight-metre monsters and Olympic gold

The first two posts on Tahitian Kauli Vaast’s Instagram are of the 22-year-old riding a terrifying eight-metre Teahupo’o monster, followed by a shot of him surfing the same infamous reef with snorkel, spear gun and freshly caught dinner.

So, in hindsight, what hope did Australian silver medallist Jack Robinson really have against Teahupo’o’s very own resident wave whisperer?

Vaast will add an Olympic gold medal post to his socials and a priceless bit of bling to the mantelpiece, having begun the men’s surfing event as a warm favourite last week and then dominated the men’s final on Tuesday (AEST).

Despite not competing on the Championship Tour, Vaast’s prowess at his home break, which doubles as one of the most terrifying waves on the planet, is well known in surfing circles.

So too is Robinson’s barrel-riding ability and his own Teahupo’o experience, with his smooth progress to the Olympic final following a 2023 Tahiti Pro victory and strong performances in these waters.

Unfortunately for Robinson, the Pacific turned on him when gold went on the line.

Only three waves were ridden for the entire 35-minute heat as four-to-six-foot Teahupo’o tubes interspersed long lulls from a slumbering ocean.

And when Teahupo’o did suddenly stop swiping at the snooze button, Vaast was already out of bed and tucked into a gold-medal winning barrel.

“I can’t believe it, I just made history,” Vaast gushed afterwards.

“Not just for me but for all Tahitians, for surfing, for Polynesia and France ... I’ve already lost my voice from screaming as hard as I can.”

Again, in hindsight, should we have expected anything less from one who first surfed the “place of skulls” (as Teahupo’o translates in his local French Polynesian dialect) when he was just eight years old?

The whole of Tahiti certainly didn’t, even though Vaast’s mum was too nervous to watch the final in person, and instead stayed home to work in her garden while her son made Olympic history.

From the moment he slotted in behind the curtain of a six-foot wave lip, Vaast knew he was more than halfway home.

Robinson, commentators and spectators on the ground and around the globe knew too.

Jack Robinson, Kauli Vaast and Brazilian bronze medallist Gabriel Medina.Credit: Getty Images

The judges confirmed it soon enough, handing out a thoroughly deserved 9.5-point score.

Robinson’s response a minute later – a very handy 7.83 – would have made for a dream start in almost any other circumstance.

But again, Vaast’s local know-how simply had the Australian world No.3 nailed to the wall.

Just as the first scores were coming through, Vaast sniffed out another barrel with his wave priority, posting an imposing back-up score of 8.17.

For the next 22 minutes, Robinson could only stare forlornly at the horizon.

Kauli Vaast celebrates his gold medal.Credit: Getty Images

His own 9.50 ride – which Robinson does have in the kitbag – never came.

“It’s OK, it’s almost more than competing at that point ... You can’t always predict the ocean,” Robinson said. “I was [thinking] just give me one shot, I only need one shot. Give me a 10. I haven’t had a 10 [this event], but it’s OK.

“I feel amazing. The inner competitor in me always wants to go one better. But you also have to think that it’s such a long ride that I’ve been on, and I’ve got a lot more to come.”

Caroline Marks rides her way into history at Teahupo’o.Credit: AP

Such is the nature of competitive surfing, and the overwhelming complication in the sport finding a long-term Olympic home.

After Teahupo’o turned it on last week and unfurled two-to-three-metre waves and some of the most compelling images of the entire Games, Tuesday’s finals came after four days of waiting for the swell to reproduce.

The women’s final – won by reigning world champion Caroline Marks – played out in similarly nail-biting and frustrating fashion, as the Hawaiian star and Brazilian veteran Tatiana Weston-Webb waited, watched, and eventually tossed themselves into a handful of waves.

Marks also threw down the gauntlet early with the best wave of the heat – a 7.50 barrel. Not until after the siren was her gold medal confirmed given that Weston-Webb had jagged a late ride that sent her skidding across the Teahupo’o reef.

When the scores eventually came through, the Brazilian had fallen short of a boilover by just 0.17.

In all, a day of Olympics finals neatly summed up a surfer’s lot in life. You spend the majority of your time waiting around, and the locals will almost always leave you dead. And every once in a while – and this time it was Kauli Vaast – you land a little bit of gold.

For Olympics news, results and expert analysis sent daily throughout the Games, sign up for our Sport newsletter.