Paris 2024: surfer Michel Bourez goals of returning to the highest of the wave, at dwelling in Polynesia

“Teahupoo, for everybody, it’s the top of the street, however for the locals, it’s the start. » And for Michel Bourez, this wave positioned twenty minutes by oar from the shore of this village positioned within the depths of the island of Tahiti, introduced by a rusty signal as probably the most harmful on the earth, was much more than a starting: a revelation. The 37-year-old surfer has been training this thick and highly effective “left” because the finish of the Nineteen Nineties. And goals of nonetheless being there in a 12 months, to symbolize France on the Olympic Video games.

On July 27, 2024, when the Olympic occasion begins, he hopes to have the ability to shine in his backyard, “within the face of this hallucinating decor”, between turquoise lagoons and plush flora, with Mount Roonui and its 1,332 meters as a backdrop. And to dwell as much as his nickname, “the Spartan”, he who loves nothing a lot as “huge surf”.

“My first time there, I used to be 14 years previous. The waves have been slightly small for the spot, however there was the entire older era of professional surfers within the water and I watched and discovered so much. » To the purpose of turning into one of many undisputed masters of this monster with a reef on the floor of the water which scratches the skins and may break the bones.

“This wave conjures up me greater than another”

The wave didn’t spare him. In 2015, he was critically injured throughout a free browsing session, out of competitors. Evaluation: left hand and a fractured vertebra. “It didn’t calm me down, quite the opposite! Since I dwell an hour from Teahupoo, I run there as quickly because it’s in good situation… This wave conjures up me greater than another. »

On the finish of March, when The world met Michel Bourez, there was no query of Teahupoo for him. The surfer was struggling to get well from a fall from a skateboard six weeks earlier that left him with a damaged hand. The appointment was given in one in all his favourite eating places, round a carpaccio of tuna with coconut milk which might be tasted beneath foggers because the humidity is insufferable. We’re in Paea, a small city crossed by the street that surrounds the island of Tahiti, 18 kilometers south of Papeete, the capital.

“I’ve lived right here for fifteen years with my spouse and two youngsters. It’s a paradise with its white sand seashores and coconut palms, and an actual stunning playground for coaching! » Lowered to some periods of free browsing, Michel Bourez has sufficient to occupy himself. A star on the island, he’s Paris 2024 ambassador for younger individuals, a task he takes very critically. In a single 12 months, he could have visited a whole lot of main faculties and met 1000’s of kids.

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