Paris Olympics 2024: Jack Robinson snares silver medal after being beaten in surfing gold medal match

Jack Robinson’s bid for Australia’s first Olympic surfing gold medal has fallen at the final hurdle, being beaten by France’s Kauli Vaast in the gold medal match in Tahiti.

The Margaret River product secured a silver medal but was bested by Vaast - a Tahitian local - 17.67 to 7.83 at the Teahupo’o surf break.

Irrespective of the result of the final, Robinson achieved Australia’s best surfing result at an Olympics after Owen Wright snared bronze on the sport’s Games debut in Tokyo.

Wave selection and execution proved critical in slow conditions and Robinson’s call to let his opponent have priority came back to hurt him, with a pair of brilliant efforts seeing Vaast make the early running.

Nearly 10 minutes into the gold medal match, Vaast struck the first blow with a brilliant barrel ride assessed by the judges at a 9.50 — one of the best scores of the Games — with Robinson’s shorter follow-up effort in the same wave given a 7.83.

Vaast quickly followed up by getting deep in a tube and producing a pair of sharp carves after exiting, with his 8.17 giving him a total of 17.67 and leaving Robinson well adrift.

Needing a near-perfect score of 9.84 to claim the lead, the Australian was forced to play the waiting game but the ocean proved uncooperative and a wave which would have given him a chance never came.

Plunged into the repechage after the opening round, Robinson had emerged through a tough run to the final, with world No.1 John John Florence in the round of 16 and compatriot Ethan Ewing in an all-Australian quarterfinal among his scalps.

Earlier in the day, Robinson guaranteed himself a medal by upsetting Brazil’s Medina in a semifinal showdown.

As action finally got underway following days of delays due to conditions, Robinson recorded scores of 7.83 and 4.50 - the former courtesy of a long barrel run - amid underwhelming swell.

Medina notched a 6.33 to stay in contention, but as he eyed his second ride, he was ultimately left waiting for a wave that never came as the clock expired.

“It’s a long journey, and these are the moments that make it special,” Robinson said after securing his place in the final.

Medina, who was the subject of one of the most remarkable photographs in Olympic history during his heat last week, ensured he took home a medal by getting over Peru’s Alonso Correa in the bronze medal match.

More to come