What can you say about Carissa Moore that hasn't already been said? The Hawaii-born star writes her own superlatives with every performance.
For six months of the year, she enjoys the quiet life she has in Honolulu with her husband, Luke, and two dogs, Maya and Tuffy.
But for the other six months, Moore travels the world ‘chasing waves’ and following her dreams as a professional surfer. And in 2021, that half-year was very special indeed.
The 28-year-old Moore headed to Tokyo 2020 in fine form with six competitions under her belt this year - all of them finishing 1st, second or third.
And she was untouchable all the way to the Olympic final against South African Bianca Buitendag, taking gold 101 years after Hawaiian surf legend Duke Kahanamoku first said surfing should be included in the Games.
For Moore, it all started when she was five, surfing with her father on the beaches of Waikiki.
“My dad taught me how to surf when I was five years old at Waikiki beach and I was immediately hooked,” she revealed on her website.
“The ocean is my happy place!”
And her competition record speaks for itself, with Moore dominating the waves.
She burst onto the scene in 2010, earning Rookie of the Year following two contest wins and a finish of third overall. The following surf season, she picked up where she left off – winning three events and bagging her first World title by dethroning Stephanie Gilmore.
She became the youngest person to win a surfing title when she was just 18.
Moore took World Tour honours twice more, first in 2013 and then again in 2015. Despite missing out in both 2016 and 2017, she returned to formidable form in 2019 that saw her pick up a fourth World Surf league title, ultimately securing her place on Team USA for the 2020 Olympics, held in 2021.
On the back of her success, Moore wants to leave a legacy to goes beyond just making waves in the water but making waves out of it too. She is the founder of a charity that offers opportunities to girl that want to learn about surfing and more.
"The goal is to give back and encourage them to be strong, beautiful, confident young women – and also to give back in turn,” she told RB.
