MARKS STRIKES OLYMPIC GOLD! Space Coast Native Talks About Her Stunning Victory, ‘It’s Beyond All My Wildest Dreams!’

CAROLINE MARKS: Your whole life goes into a moment like this!

TAHITI – Reigning world champion surfer, Brevard County native and Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame inductee Caroline Marks captured the Gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, defeating Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb in a narrow win Monday at the Teahupo’o in Tahiti.

With a score of 10.50, Marks bested Weston-Webb (10.33) by a mere 0.17 points. Marks won by the slimmest of margins, delivering a clutch wave as time expired to tie the score. However, her last wave was the highest of the heat, giving her a tiebreaker win over France’s Johanne Defay, who won the bronze, beating out Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy with a score of 12.66.

The 22-year-old Space Coast native burst on to the surf scene when she became the youngest person to ever qualify for the WSL Championship Tour at age 15 and then being inducted as the youngest person ever into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

The win for Marks is the second straight Olympic gold in that category for American surfers, echoing the gold from Carissa Moore at Tokyo 2020. In surfing’s Olympic debut in 2020 in Tokyo, Marks finished fourth.

With the Gold Medal secured, Marks triumphantly arrived onshore on the shoulders of her coaches, draped in the American flag as an Olympic champion.

“Your whole life goes into a moment like this,” Marks said with the Gold medal hanging around her neck.

“It’s beyond all my wildest dreams. I’m in such a different headspace [now] from the last Olympics,” said Marks. “The feeling I got winning the world title … I truly thought nothing could ever top that. It was such a powerful and amazing feeling. But if I can get spit out of a big tube in Tahiti to win an [Olympic] gold medal? I don’t know how that feels yet, but maybe it would feel even better.”

MARKS IS A 2016 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

BREVARD WUNDERKIND

During an interview for her 2016 Space Coast Sport Hall of Fame profile she asked what her favorite book is, and she didn’t hesitate with her answer.

“The Bible,” said the then-14-year-old surfing wunderkind from Melbourne Beach.

Her faith and her family come first to Caroline, and this well-grounded attitude, coupled with an incredible surfeit of innate talent, has enabled this young surfer to earn serious accolades from the surfing community well before she can even drive.

The year 2015 was excellent for Caroline, who was named the Volcom VQS World Champion, NSSA Open Girls National Champion, the NSSA Explorer Girls National Champion, NSSA Open Women’s National Champion and the Surfing America USA Champion.

Adult surfers would feel extremely blessed if they could claim just a portion of what this young woman has already accomplished. The year 2014 also brimmed with kudos for Caroline. “Surfing” magazine named her #11 in the “Hot 100” list.

She was the 2014 RipCurl Grom Search National Champion and earned a trifecta as Surfing America USA Champion under 16, Surfing America USA Champion under 14 and Surfing America USA Champion under 12.

In one year, she has traveled the world, from Indonesia and Bali to Australia and Brazil, chasing waves and winning competitions.

Caroline’s career is the stuff of surfing legends. At 11, this goofy-footed ‘tween was the youngest girl to make the USA Surf Team. She is also the youngest female ever to surf in a World Surfing League Women’s Pro event.

When she was 12, Caroline tied surfing world darling Carissa Moore’s record as the youngest NSSA Open Women’s Champion. She was the youngest ever to win the Vans U.S. Open Championships with her Pro Junior Title.

Her ability enabled her to gain a wildcard spot in the Swatch Women’s Pro, making her the youngest wildcard in World Surf League history. Overall career highlights include 11 national titles in three years.

Marks is the youngest surfer to qualify for the women’s Championship Tour. She competed in the elite (top 16) of the World Surf League and ended 2018 season in 7th place, earning Rookie of the Year. She lives in San Clemente, California.

In 2018, her first year on tour, Marks had three third-place finishes in 10 events. She was named Rookie of the Year and finished the season ranked seventh in the world.

In 2019, Marks qualified as one of the two women on the United States’ first surfing team to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, and at the 2024 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women’s shortboard event.

In February 2022, Marks withdrew before the second event of the season and took time away from tour “to deal with some recurring medical and health issues.” She missed half the season and did not qualify for the WSL Finals

ART IN MOTION

Watching Caroline gracefully ride a perfect wave from start to finish is seeing art in motion. Not only is she amazing on the water, but back on land, she is also humble and sweet, and as passionate about her large family as she is about her favorite sport.

She discovered her love of sports through barrel racing and began surfing competitively when she was 8 years old. Big brother, Luke, by the way, was a fantastic, nationally-ranked surfer who introduced Caroline to surfing.

In 2016, she divided her time between the training waves at San Clemente, California, and the home surf of Melbourne Beach. Marks now lives full time in California.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

CLICK HERE to see all the members of the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.

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