01x02 - Weight of a Nation

[bunniefuu]

[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

WADE: First time I heard surfing

was inducted
into the Olympics was 2016.

To complete that long road is
a really amazing dream come true.

MAHINA: Having surfing recognized
at the Olympics

is the biggest thing
that has ever happened in surfing.

The next generation of Japanese surfers,
people are finally realizing

how talented they are.

These four athletes
are the best in Japan.

Hiroto Ohhara.

WADE: Right now he's hitting the right age
and peaking in his performance.

Expect to see a lot of things
coming out of Hiroto in the near future.

[IN JAPANESE] Right now, my goal is
to win a medal at the Olympics.

MASATOSHI: [IN ENGLISH]
Amuro Tsuzuki...

Mahina Maeda.

She's putting so much time
and effort into the training,

into the mental training.

MASATOSHI: And Kanoa Igarashi...

is the only Japanese guy

in the World Championship Tour.

I have that samurai spirit in me.
My great-great grandparents were samurais.

That runs through me.

I just want to see the look
on my parents' faces

when I have that Japanese flag
next to my name.

It's my time to... to really own up to it.

The more pressure there is,
the more fuel I have to burn.

[MUSIC ENDS]

MAHINA: Being able to participate
in the Olympics is such a special thing.

It's a game changer in my career.

Whatever result I get,
people are just super happy

and supportive and stoked for me.

-Hello, Ma'.
-Welcome home!

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

See?

This is my Hānai family
and Hānai means in Hawaiian

is like your second
or your adopted family.

Every time I ever feel homesick
or whenever I'm in Japan,

they let me stay here...

and then I always eat their poke
and their Kalua pork

and then the Oxtail soup.

They really took me in
as a second family and as a home.

[IN JAPANESE] Even from the beginning,
I feel she is not like a stranger to us

but more of a family.

That's why I cried when she won
and qualified for the Olympic Games.

MAHINA: [IN ENGLISH] I feel like
fate works in mysterious ways.

The Nakamura family took me in
as the other daughter.

Same thing with Kid and Sussi.
I felt really at home with them.

KEIICHIRO: [IN JAPANESE] I feel proud
that she will

represent Japan
in the Olympics.

I think it's very meaningful to represent
both Hawaii and Japan in surfing.

[IN ENGLISH] I am born and raised
in Hawaii, but I... At the same time,

I have Japanese roots, so I wanted
to represent my parents' heritage.

There was a huge opportunity for me
to be able to represent Japan

and I decided to actually move
to Japan to compete in the event

to get on the ISA team,
which is basically

your pre-Olympic qualifiers.

Her father's friend brought her here
one day saying that she just came in,

she was getting homesick
'cause she was living in Chiba by herself.

MAHINA:
Before I met them, I felt really lonely.

I had a huge language barrier.

At that time, it was hard
to express my feelings

and express how I felt.

It's interesting when you go to a place
where you should be feeling at home,

and you don't.

And people kind of segregate you
a little bit or reject you a little bit.

In Japan, they treat her as an outsider.

Even though she is very Japanese.

And she was kind of stressed out
the first year she came

because she couldn't get used
to the Japanese environment at all.

And I can understand that
'cause I was the same way.

Japanese people are really nice,
but they don't understand us.

MAHINA: Betty is actually half Japanese,
half American,

and Betty really understood
how I felt and really made me

feel at home.

BETTY: We have girls that dance
the Hula here, and I said,

"Come down, come down,
and eat some Hawaiian food."

And we all kind of got together
and we were doing hula dancing

and... and we were having a little party.
From then, I said,

"Well, you can just stay with us."
And she's always welcome

to stay with us anytime
she's back in Japan.

And I miss her if we don't see her.

[IN JAPANESE] I don't think of her
as American or Hawaiian,

but as Mahina Maeda.

I like her very much
as an individual person.

Our family, the Ohanas, loves her.
Everyone is rooting for her.

MAHINA: [IN ENGLISH] Having people
in the same country, supporting me

the same way that I feel for them
is really special.

Who knows if I didn't meet you guys,
then I would not be in a situation

where I'm qualified for the Olympics.

[IN JAPANESE] Can I win a gold medal
under Kaito's training?

For sure.

No doubt.

[IN ENGLISH] We have this ongoing joke
that he taught me how to surf.

Teach her surfing.

We watch you,
no matter where you are

and what you do.

And like you've said it.
[VOICE BREAKS]

[IN JAPANESE]
Why are you crying?

[IN ENGLISH] I don't care
if you don't come back

with a gold medal or whatever...

-it's just that you just do your best.
-MAHINA: Mm-hmm.

-That's all I want to see.
-MAHINA: [IN JAPANESE] Thanks.

After the competition,
you just have to come home.

As always.

Then go home to Hawaii.

MAHINA: [IN ENGLISH] I'm really happy
that some of the Asian countries

are finally recognizing people
who have dual nationality.

My goal, especially as an athlete
right now,

I want to be able to inspire the people
who have dual images.

Every country loves winners.

And so Mahina wanted to really succeed
because she succeeded,

she felt she would be accepted
by the Japanese people more.

MAHINA: As soon as we get past this light,
the left is the competition site,

which is called... There's actually
two names for the place,

it's called Shidashita,
and then they call it...

the official name is called Tsurigasaki.

WADE: Three months prior of competition,
you're putting in hard training.

Five days before,
all the training is done.

So, basically it's... it's refinements.

GARRETT: When I heard that she made it,
I... It was kind of like

I... I didn't expect anything less.

And I was so happy for her.
Talking with her today,

it just seemed... she seems very focused,
and if she could win the Olympics,

that would be amazing.

MAHINA:
I'm so driven to be successful in my life

and I don't wanna feel like...

I should've done this
or I could've done this.

I don't wanna win silver and bronze,
I wanna win gold.

[SCRAPING SURFBOARD]

[IN JAPANESE]
Hiroto always wanted to do surfing.

And because it was dangerous,
I did bodyboarding.

HIROTO: That was our daily life
through middle school.

Recently, with all that's going on,
we've been in Japan

and we are able to meet up more often.

Ooh, there are waves.

But before that it used to be pretty rare
to see each other.

SARI: That's unusual
that you are stretching.

Yeah, I stretch whenever my body
feels tight.

Instead of warming up, I stretch.

I start getting worried
that I might get injured.

HIROTO: Before, I used to think my sister
was so annoying

when we went to the beach together.

But now, I think it’s fun
to go in together

since we rarely see each other.

[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

[IN ENGLISH] Hiroto is from Chiba,
surfing Shidashita every day.

WADE: Hiroto, he has a lot of power,
a lot of raw power, a lot of creativity,

he goes 120 percent all the time.

[IN JAPANESE] I started surfing a little
when I was 7 years old.

Mostly with my dad
as my instructor, initially.

My mom used to take videos
of me and

we'd watch the clips at home

and my dad would instruct me
on what more could I do.

When I think about it now,

I think that family support
is the most necessary and important factor

for a child to excel in any sport.

I think my parents did everything
they could do to support me.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

HIROTO: Surfing wasn't an Olympic event
yet when I started.

I was wondering if my desire
to join the Olympic Games

would increase as the Games drew closer.

I think it was only starting this year
when I actually wanted

to go to the Olympics.

Before that, I just always had
a different dream in my head.

[MUSIC ENDS]

HIROTO: 21mm. This is the next one?

AINA: Isn't it this one?

HIROTO: It is!

This one and then this one.

[SPEAKING IN JAPANESE]

-This is the most recent one?
-Mm.

Wow, that's incredible.

She weighs 343gms!

So she's expanding right now.

Aina, you're expanding,
but I guess this kid is also expanding.

You laughed.

[BOTH SPEAKING JAPANESE]

HIROTO: I had this little dream
of getting married

and having a child.

So now that I'm 24, I thought
that it's about time

to get married or have kids.

I'm actually very happy it happened.

I'm looking forward
to seeing my child's face.

-[HIROTO SPEAKING JAPANESE]
-[KNOCKS ON DOOR]

[DOG BARKING]

He's calm when he's held by you.

YUKI: Oh, it's time for dinner already.

SARI: Yeah, already.

TUYOSHI: When I first heard,
I was quite surprised.

I had a lot of worries
but after talking a lot

with Aina and Hiroto

and seeing them live their lives,
I feel less worried and more joy.

SARI: I personally don't think the time
is right now.

That's my honest opinion.

I'm not telling you what to do,
you should do what you like.

I only know Hiro.
I don't really know Aina.

Hiro only knows surfing.
He doesn't know anything else.

That's something that you can teach him.

And I think it is good that you are going
to be learning together

how to start a family.

ALL: Mm.

But I still have those feelings,
to be honest.

You just have to give it a go.

If you don't try and work hard
you won't be able

to take care of your family.

That's what you got to do.

I think it's great that you can work hard
for your family

but you have to get results.

It's pressure, but it can't be helped.

You can't drop in ranking at all.

It's great that you got married
but it's now your job.

HIROTO: Surfing is the only thing
I've been doing since I was little,

and I think I can be much better
than I am now.

If I can do that, I'll be able to support
my family even more

and provide a happy life
for my wife and child.

TAKUJI: [IN ENGLISH]
I think people resonate with Hiroto

because he is Japanese-bred pro surfer.

And if he wins,
that's something Japan will erupt over.

Because he wasn't bred abroad
and he wasn't VIP

through his career, you know?
Hiroto had to earn it.

He's like... ordinary people's champion.

But I... I think Kanoa winning
is more expected

because he is the World Tour caliber.

[STRING MUSIC PLAYING]

MISA: [IN JAPANESE]
Wanna yogurt?

KANOA: [IN ENGLISH] No.

[IN JAPANESE] I think Marcel and his group
are coming around 11:30.

TSUTOMOU: Okay.

[IN ENGLISH] Sweet.

[IN JAPANESE] What?

TSUTOMU: Watch out for yourself.

[SPEAKS JAPANESE]

[IN ENGLISH] Surfing to me is like
my time off. And surfing is like

where I get to, like, go out
and pretty much, like, just have fun.

'Cause like, you know, for me,
it's so second nature.

And surf for me feels just like I'm...

I'm having too much fun.

So, it's too easy.
You know, it's like it shouldn't be

this easy kind of thing.
So, I mean, I guess at the same time,

it's just I'm used to it.
It's like, you know, waking up early

to go surfing,
for some people that could be a grind,

but for me that's just, like...
that's what feels good, you know?

WADE: Kanoa Igarashi is one of

the most dedicated surfers
that I've seen in my career.

I moved to Huntington Beach in 2001.
Kanoa was a little boy.

His dad pushing him into foamies at
the pier in Huntington, and so right from

my first years moving to California
I knew about the Igarashi family.

MALE REPORTER: He is six years old,
his name is Kanoa Igarashi.

How'd you learn how to surf so good?

My dad, like, told me, like,
do this and do that.

KANOA: Some families go home
and play cards, and that's their thing.

Our thing was surfing.

There was just this routine every day

of waking up early, going surfing.
Me and my dad would get cookies

before we went surfing.

And then in the afternoon,
I would surf again and my mom

would film and we'd watch
the video at home.

It's cool just to go for a surf?

I've surfed on this board actually.
It... it really glides.

KANOA: My dad and my mom
really connected through surfing as well.

Living in Tokyo, it's an hour,
hour and a half drive,

and another... kind of like that...
that was their getaway from society,

from their parents pressuring them to...
to go play baseball, to go do homework.

That's what surfing was for them.
My dad had an opportunity

to work over in America
and my mom kind of was just like,

"Hey, let's... let's do it together."
And they got their green cards,

they went off to America.

Financially, and just economically,

it was just tough for them
to be in America.

And they just said,
there was so many times

where they were just about
to pack their bags

and turn around
and go back to Japan.

But they had this dream of raising
a kid, a family, in America.

[IN JAPANESE] When we moved
to the United States, and Kanoa was born,

our hope to raise him as an American,
to immerse him into American society.

Same thing with surfing.

We really wanted him
to grow up surfing in America.

KANOA: [IN ENGLISH] Surfing was
my pathway to... I wouldn't say

being a normal kid because, you know,
I was totally normal already.

But, you know, being, I guess, accepted.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

KANOA: For me, you know,
growing up in Huntington,

getting made fun of,
it was normal for me.

I brought traditional Japanese food
that my mom made me

and people would make fun of it.

Luckily, I have this gateway

through surfing and that's how
I fit into American society.

Little me, growing up,

would've never, ever imagined,

would've never dreamt
of what's going on right now.

TAKUJI: In more in the mass pop market,
I think Kanoa just walked into

the right time and I think he's endorsed
by, like, Visa and, you know,

bigger international,
global brands.

And he's proved himself
to be a gnarly surfer as well.

So, he has creds, you know,
he's not only competition little wave guy.

He can do air
and he can do everything else.

So, I think he's a complete package.

KANOA: Eh...

Almost through the top and bottom,

it's funny.

It's like, I could be doing this
and it could be a board

that I only use once.
You know?

Now, it's just like muscle memory.

WADE: When I was selected
as Team Japan Head Coach in 2017,

I came back
to Huntington Beach, California

and... and sat down
with the Igarashi family.

Explained to them that I'd
just been put on the program

for four years. That I would be
Team Japan Head Coach,

and it would be a really smart idea
for Kanoa to think about

maybe representing Japan.

He didn't even give it a second.

Kanoa, his brain was just like,

"That's what I'm doing."
It was a great opportunity

to... to represent Japan,
which would honor the Igarashi family.

KANOA: Social media is such a big part
of our world at the moment.

It gives a microphone to everyone,

it's a really cool thing,
but a positive thing always comes

with a negative thing, you know?

And I got a lot of hurtful comments
on changing the flag that I represented.

TAKUJI: I think he had a false start.

When he joined the World Tour,
he registered himself

as an American surfer.

But from Japanese lens,
he's always been a Japanese, you know?

I think he was just waving
the wrong flag for the first two years

and he switched...
which misled a lot of people

and maybe there was disappointment,
you know?

KANOA: Obviously, it was a hard decision
'cause, you know, in my heart

I also represent America.
You know, it's a huge part of me.

I realized that family love
is a lot stronger

than I thought, you know?

It's that bond
and that kind of connection.

It's a lot stronger than...

you know,
a handful of comments on social media.

I have a lot of people looking up to me
and watching me and supporting me.

I represent a lot of things, you know?
I represent Japan.

I represent California, America.

I represent not just Japanese-Americans,
but Asian-Americans.

On top of that, the most important thing
that I represent is my family.

And, you know, that's the one
that I want people to see the most.

My last name in Japanese
means "50 storms."

That's where 50 comes in,
it's pretty plain and simple,

but, you know, just having them with me,

just knowing that it's...
that it's not just a me thing.

I really simply couldn't have done it
without them.

It's just becoming more and more real.
I'm getting closer and closer

to calling myself an Olympian
and possibly, you know, coming home

with the gold medal around my neck,
so...

here we go, like,

here comes the rollercoaster.

[PLANE TAKING OFF]

WOMAN: [OVER P.A.] Please go to
the information counter, on second floor.

KANOA: Down here in Tokyo.

I'm gonna go check out the Olympic venue,

um, then I'm gonna surf.

[GRUNTS]

[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

KANOA: Here I am, right in the middle
of Japan at the Olympics

and it's crazy, you know.

It's just getting realer
and realer every day.

I have to pinch myself some days
and just, you know,

make sure I'm not dreaming.

Look over there,
that's one Olympic venue.

On the other side over there,
like, that's the Olympic...

That's where the Olympic Village is.
Like, the Athlete Village.

KANOA: I'm just excited for my sport.
I'm excited for the challenges

I have ahead coming up.
I'm gonna just enjoy it and just adapt

and see what happens
at the end of the day.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

MASATOSHI: I went to Olympic Village
with the team.

It was quite exciting.

That's when I realized
I want to be Olympian.

My friends around me,
they're the ones

that really stuck up for me.
And you know, those are my surf friends.

The only opinions that matter

are the people that you care about,
you know?

There's only four of us,
so we have a tighter-knit group,

and we get along really well.

Being able to travel
with your countrymen

and having, like, an amazing staff crew,
it's something special

that you never get to experience
anywhere else.

WADE: That's your family bond
when you're on the road,

so that's probably the highlight,

is building
those long-term relationships.

HIROTO: [IN JAPANESE] Among the four
of us... Amuro is the younger sister,

I'm her dad,
and Kanoa is her older brother...

while Mahina is her older sister.
We talk to each other like that.

[IN ENGLISH] The funny thing about Hiroto,
he has his...

But actually not even Hiroto.
Both Kanoa and Hiroto

have terrible laughs,
and we actually don't even laugh

at their jokes,
we laugh at their own laughs.

So, the energy and the atmosphere
that we all have during the Olympics

was pretty funny.

MASATOSHI: To have a team backing you up,

I think that's a big part of...

a big part of their success.

The cool thing about it too,
like, we support each other

and we actually want each other
to do good.

WADE: You know, you can be friends
on the beach but once you hit the water,

it's business.
And you know, everybody respects that.

MASATOSHI: We went to Shidashita.
Start training early,

but it was super small
like a knee high, super small conditions.

Chiba presented a 50/50 risk of waves
less than a foot and a half.

And this was a twenty years of statistics.

MASATOSHI: Fernando spoke to us

and he said 2020,
the date that they have booked

for the Olympics, there were no waves,
they were flat.

And Fernando was really, like,
emotional about it.

FERNANDO: I mean, I was like... on
an emotional rollercoaster all the time.

A lot of people told me,
"You're gambling."

I said, "Yeah, I'm gambling."

I don't even know if I'm gonna get waves.

MASATOSHI: You can never predict
how the waves gonna do,

how the ocean gonna do.
That's the fun thing

and also tricky thing and exciting thing
about surfing competition.

So, you can plan all you want,
but it will go flip-flop.

So, we went to the wave pool to train.

-[LAUGHTER]
-[SPEAKING JAPANESE INDISTINCTLY]

[BEEP]

[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

Wave pools are a fairly new thing
in our world.

And it's already done wonders
to the sport in general.

I know I've already benefitted from it.

WADE: I see a massive future
for wave pools

in your performance training.

You can work on a certain technique
or a certain maneuver

over and over and over until,
you know, you perfect it.

HIROTO: [IN JAPANESE] I think I've been
to the wave pool...

five or six times now?

It's equivalent to about two weeks
to a month of practice in the sea.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

[MUSIC FADES]

[CROWD GASPS]

[CROWD CHEERS]

[UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

MASATOSHI: [IN ENGLISH]
Once Olympics opened,

everybody was starting to talk
about this typhoon.

It might come, might not come,
but it already born out in the Pacific.

I'm in the flight to Japan
and I have wi-fi.

And I'm all anxious on the phone.
And when I arrive at 4 p.m...

the next day is the big Olympic meeting.

And I see the email come in from Surfline,
the official forecaster.

And I see yellow, orange, red, purple.

MASATOSHI:
Now, we're gonna get for sure waves,

and we were excited.

MALE ANNOUNCER: Hello and welcome
to Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach.

And it was good waves on the first day,
better waves on the second day,

and great waves on the third day,
on the final day.

You know, just very impressive waves.

MALE ANNOUNCER:
Japan, Hiroto Ohhara.

I never had that kind of atmosphere
before in a surf event.

Usually, you're going there
and you're mingling

with thousands of people.
This time, with COVID,

was just totally opposite.

It was a focus game.

It definitely helped
with Team Japan's results.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: Challenging conditions
for some, definitely.

KID: Okay, Sussi, it's starting.

KID: Whoo!

-All right, Mahina. Whoo-hoo!
-Let's go!

It's a 30-minute heat, right?

Yes, 30-minute heat.
Then the two top surfers advance.

Here she goes!

Go, Mahi!

BOTH: Ooh.

SUSSI: Aye-yay-yay.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1:
Maeda struggling through a turn...

Oh, my gosh. I don't like
she's so far away from everybody.

SUSSI: I know.

MALE ANNOUNCER 2: Mahina Maeda
just unable

to find the flow in this round.

She really looks out of sync out there.

KID: One minute left.

[SUSSI GROANS]

Oh, right! Good, good wave, Mahina.

-Go, go, go. Get the score.
-Go, go, go, go!

-Come on!
-KID: Oof.

I don't even know how they can make
anything out of these terrible waves.

KID: I know, her board move...
is moving really well.

[BUZZER SOUNDS ON TV]

She's still got another chance,
another round.

-Five people, first three advance.
-SUSSI: Yeah.

But... [EXHALES]
I don't know if I can survive this.

[SUSSI LAUGHS]

FERNANDO: Surfing is a sport
that is a subjective judging,

which means that the performance
is analyzed by people.

So we got five judges,
and a head judge if they need help.

So, a computer system crunches
all the numbers of the five judges

on every wave.

Eliminates the high and the low score...

creates an average, and that's the score
for that wave for that athlete.

Ten is the highest.

The whole perspective of judging
has changed in this last decade or so.

Used to be length around and the amount
of maneuvers you could do...

where it's gone to the person
that's trying to do

the most radical maneuvers
in most critical section.

Which equals more risk,
which equals more reward.

KID: Come on.
Let's get a wave and a score.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1:
Mahina Maeda, here we go.

SUSSI: There she goes. There she goes.

-Come on, come on, come on.
-Big, big, big hit.

-Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
-KID: One more. One more. Yes!

SUSSI: Come on!

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: Mahina really finding
her rhythm in this heat.

-[BUZZER SOUNDS ON TV]
-SUSSI: This is it. Now we wait.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: The last of the scores
are still coming through.

How long does it take
for them to put the score up?

FEMALE VOICE: Mahina! Mahina!

-[SUSSI SIGHS]
-[KID CHEERS]

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: And there you have it.
Mahina Maeda advances into round three.

KID: She advanced.

Oh, my God. That was so close.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1:
Hugs for Team Japan.

Crazy. They had to go to
the third wave, I guess.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1:
We move on to the elimination rounds.

WADE: Women's round three, heat four.
Mahina Maeda versus Caroline Marks.

This is man-on-man heats
at this point.

When you drop down
to man-on-man heats,

you gotta kinda shift your strategy

to choosing the better waves.

You can't make too many errors.

KID: Caroline Marks is from the U.S.A.,
is the second in the world,

really complete surfer.

It's a lot of experience. Being second
in the world is no joke, you know?

So, but Mahina can do it.

Just a matter
of keeping your mind focused.

MAHINA: I don't wanna set my expectations
too low because, as an athlete,

you wanna win, you wanna be the top.

I don't wanna say I'm just an Olympian,
I wanna say I am a gold medalist.

WADE: During the contest, it's more
of keeping a level mental state.

MALE ANNOUNCER 2:
What a start for Caroline Marks.

WADE: Caroline had an outstanding
wave choice and great scores

and put Mahina in a combination,
which means you need two wave scores

to beat that athlete.

You need more than ten points requirement.

You can't do it on one alone.

In a man-on-man heat,
it's hard to get out of that.

MALE ANNOUNCER 2:
Maeda struggling here early.

It's all about mental. I mean, surfing,
of course, you can practice every day,

but mostly mental.

You are in that spot,

you're excited to be able to perform
and you want to perform,

or crack under pressure.

WADE: It seemed that Mahina kind of
wasn't able to put herself

in a position to catch the waves
with the most scoring potential.

Which means you're out.

I would say she put
too much pressure on herself.

WADE: Mahina was the first
Japanese athlete out of the Olympics

from Team Japan.

But needless to say,
a ninth place at the Olympics

is still such an amazing achievement.

I am really proud with the results
that I've made,

but the first thing I'd say is, like,
"Oh, I wish I won.

I wish I did way better.
I surfed really bad in that event."

Well, I was very sad that it ended.

I keep perspective that

she's an Olympian,
she advanced a round,

but I know how disappointed she is
'cause she went there to win.

But it's the breaks.
It's what sports are all about.

MALE ANNOUNCER: 1 Japan, Ohhara
on his home stretch of land.

WADE: They're in the men's quarterfinals,
heat three,

Ítalo Ferreira from Brazil
versus Hiroto Ohhara.

His opponent was Ítalo Ferreira.

He knew that Ítalo gonna go big.

He gives 120 percent
every time he paddles out.

It can be one foot or it can be 20 foot.
Like, he's an Energizer Bunny.

MALE ANNOUNCER:
Pumping, driving.

Here's that... exactly what
we're talking about. Massive.

MALE ANNOUNCER 2:
What a start.

MASATOSHI: The first wave, Ítalo did
the biggest air of the competition.

Ítalo Ferreira is the monster of surfing.
He's the best of the best.

So is Gabriel Medina, world champion.

All Brazilians, they are leading
surfing the world.

It's called the Brazilian Storm
and rightfully so.

I watched that unfold.

In my career as a judge
and now as a coach,

they had Adriano de Souza,

first Brazilian world champion.

When you set examples like that...
"Wow, there's a Brazilian guy

and he achieved the world title.

If he can do it, I can do it."

Working with Japan
this last four years,

I'm kinda seeing the same spark.

MASATOSHI: Hiroto knew
he had to do his best.

He had to be on the best wave.

MALE ANNOUNCER:
Really important wave right here.

This is a critical section.

MASATOSHI: He kept going at it.

Mentally, he didn't break down
after the nine,

and he surfed good.

MALE ANNOUNCER: Here's Hiroto.
On his final ride.

Twenty-six to go, beautiful last turn.

WADE: Hiroto ended up
with a fifth-place finish.

MASATOSHI: He was disappointed
but I'm sure at same time,

he was up against the best
of the best

and you've fought back.

MALE ANNOUNCER:
You know, Japan should be proud.

Hiroto can hold his head high.

More than anything else,
he got confident from that heat.

[IN JAPANESE] To have competed in
the first ever Olympics of surfing,

in Japan no less...

I feel like I stood at
the dawn of a new era.

I want to continue this sport
and aim even higher.

That's my goal.

MALE ANNOUNCER: [IN ENGLISH]
The first heat of the men's semi-finals.

One of the most exciting heats
of the event

and most exciting exchange
came in the semi-finals

between Kanoa Igarashi
and Gabriel Medina.

MALE ANNOUNCER:
Gabriel Medina wasting no time.

WADE: Gabriel came flying out the gates
with two high scores, eights.

Putting Kanoa in the dangerous situation
of losing.

MASATOSHI: For any other person,
it must be a big, big pressure.

But for Kanoa, it was an energy.

MALE ANNOUNCER: Good control from Kanoa.

KANOA: I love pressure.
That's why we compete, you know?

That's why... that's why I compete
at least, you know?

I love surfing, but I love competing
even more, I think.

You know, it's just that...
that drive and that sensation

of overcoming your own mental cluster.

MALE ANNOUNCER:
Kanoa times this section perfectly.

MASATOSHI: He likes pressure.

Bigger the better.

MALE ANNOUNCER:
Igarashi with a big closing maneuver.

MASATOSHI: Takes that kind of personality,
that kind of mentality

to be the champion.

Within the last minute of the heat,
Kanoa took off on like a set wave,

only allowing one section
for a maneuver,

needing a low nine.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: So,
he's gonna go for big air here.

Great section. Fantastic.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER: Nice job.

MALE ANNOUNCER 2:
A 9.33 for Kanoa.

WADE: He went for the Hail Mary
and launched one

of the biggest, longest extension airs
that I've seen with a rotation.

And pulled it off smooth. To a point where
I think he surprised himself.

When he landed, he was like
"Whoa. Did you see that?"

That was the best single maneuver
of the Olympics.

[BUZZER SOUNDS]

WADE: You're not gonna do that again.

You get one shot at doing that,
and he did it.

MALE ANNOUNCER: The most important air
of his life, for sure.

The wait is over.
It's the gold medal matchup.

Ítalo Ferreira versus Kanoa Igarashi.

When these big moments happen,
I have a handful of things

that I do to get me into that zone.
You know, I love to listen to music,

but it all kinda comes down
to this moment, like,

right before I compete.

I like to just connect with the ocean.

It's like... In a way,
it's like, surrendering myself

to the ocean.
It's like, "Okay, this is, you know,

it's me and you here,
let's... you know,

let's have some fun."
I love that feeling being ramped up.

For me, that's what gets me up
in the morning.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1:
Surfing for the gold medal,

taking the time to compose himself.

MALE ANNOUNCER 2:
The men's final is about to begin.

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

[THEME MUSIC ENDS]