From child prodigy to Olympic champion, the surfer’s path wasn’t as effortless as her rides make it seem
Teahupo’o’s legendary wave breaks with terrifying force, a churning wall of water that has humbled the world’s greatest surfers. Yet on a history-making day in August 2024, 22-year-old Caroline Marks sliced through this Tahitian monster with liquid grace, carving her name into Olympic lore. When the final scores flashed – 10.50 to Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb’s 10.33 – Marks erupted in a burst of joy that was years in the making. That narrow 0.17-point margin represented so much more than gold; it was the culmination of a journey that saw her plummet from surfing’s stratosphere before rising again, stronger than before.
“It’s incredible,” Marks gasped, barely containing her emotion. But the path to this golden moment wasn’t the straightforward trajectory most expected from the sport’s most celebrated wunderkind.
The Prodigy: Too Much, Too Soon
Growing up in Melbourne Beach, Florida – hardly a surfing mecca – Caroline Marks wasn’t supposed to become surfing royalty. But the ocean had different plans for the Valentine’s Day baby born in 2002. By age 11, she had claimed the U.S. amateur surfing title, setting the stage for what would become one of the most meteoric rises in the sport’s history.
The accolades piled up with dizzying speed: NSSA championships, Vans U.S. Open Jr. wins, and Volcom World VQS victories. Before she could legally drive, she had amassed 17 national titles. Imagine being so good at something by 15 that adults twice your age look at you with a mixture of awe and discomfort.
In 2018, Marks shattered the glass ceiling, becoming the youngest surfer ever to qualify for the World Surf League Women’s Championship Tour at just 15. Her rookie season wasn’t some gentle introduction either – three podium finishes in ten events, a seventh-place world ranking, and the coveted Rookie of the Year award.
“Everything happened so fast,” she later reflected. “When you’re young and things come easily, you don’t always understand the weight of what’s happening.”
The following year, 2019, Marks defeated surfing legends Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore to claim her first Championship Tour victory at the Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast. For a moment, she sat atop the world rankings—a teenager looking down at the elite veterans who had ruled the sport for years. By season’s end, she had secured second place overall and punched her ticket to the postponed Tokyo Olympics.
But sometimes the universe has a strange way of preparing us for success through failure.
When the Wave Crashes: The Mental Health Reckoning
Picture this: You’re barely out of your teens. You’ve achieved more than most athletes do in a lifetime. Sponsors. Magazine covers. Olympic expectations. And yet, each morning, the thought of paddling out – the very thing that once defined your joy – fills you with dread.
That was Caroline Marks in 2022.
“It just became this pressure-driven thing,” Marks candidly admitted. “I lost my love for surfing.”
While most elite athletes hide their struggles beneath carefully curated social media feeds, Marks made the stunning decision to step away from competition entirely. For four months – an eternity in the career of a professional athlete – she disconnected from the competitive circuit, citing mental health challenges and “recurring medical issues.”
Initially, she stopped surfing altogether, trading Pacific waves for family time in Florida. The weight of expectation had become crushing, transforming a passion into a burden. “I felt like I was letting people down,” she confessed, articulating the invisible pressure that elite athletes often shoulder in silence.
Her hiatus wasn’t just brave – it was revolutionary. In an era where athlete mental health has finally entered mainstream conversation, Marks’ decision to prioritize wellbeing over accolades spoke volumes. This wasn’t a story of burnout; it was a necessary recalibration.
“Mental health is very important,” she later explained. “As I got older, I learned how important it is to focus on your mental health and to have someone to talk to.”
Finding Her Flow: The Comeback Builds
When Marks returned to competitive surfing in late 2022, appearing in the final four events of the WSL Championship Tour, something was different. The surfer who had once chased perfection with white-knuckled determination now approached each wave with renewed joy.
Her competitive edge hadn’t dulled – she promptly secured a third-place finish – but her relationship with success had fundamentally shifted. Entering 2023, Marks focused on enjoying the journey rather than fixating solely on results.
“I wanted to rediscover why I fell in love with surfing in the first place,” she said. This wasn’t just athlete-speak; it was a genuine philosophical shift that would ultimately propel her to heights even her teenage prodigy self hadn’t reached.
The 2023 season became a masterclass in resilience. Marks started strong with another third-place finish in San Clemente, then claimed victories at the Surf City El Salvador Pro and – perhaps most significantly – the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro at Teahupo’o, the very same break that would host the Olympic competition a year later.
These weren’t just wins. They were statements. Caroline Marks wasn’t just “back” – she had evolved into something more formidable.
World Champion: From Doubt to Dominance
Enter September 2023. Lower Trestles, California. The Rip Curl WSL Finals.
As the No. 3 seed, Marks faced a gauntlet of the world’s best, including five-time world champion Carissa Moore—the same surfing icon who had claimed Olympic gold in Tokyo while Marks finished an agonizing fourth.
In a thrilling best-of-three final, Marks didn’t just compete – she dominated. Her scores in the decisive heat – 14.60 to Moore’s 13.53 – secured her first World Surf League Women’s World Title. Beyond the numbers, it was the manner of victory that astounded observers: the technical precision, the fearless approach, and above all, the unmistakable joy radiating from every turn.
The win was historic in multiple dimensions: the first World Title for a mainland USA surfer since 1997 and the first for a goofy-footed woman since 2005. But the true significance transcended statistics. Just one year after questioning whether competitive surfing still had a place in her life, Marks stood at its summit.
“This isn’t just about winning,” she said through tears. “It’s about the journey back to myself.”
Olympic Redemption: From Fourth to First
The Tokyo Olympics had left Marks with unfinished business – fourth place, one spot shy of the podium. As she prepared for Paris 2024 (with surfing events held in Tahiti), her approach reflected her evolved mindset.
“In Tokyo, I was so focused on the result,” she reflected. “In Paris, I wanted to enjoy every moment of the experience.”
That recalibration proved pivotal. Throughout the Olympic competition, Marks surfed with controlled aggression, defeating hometown favorite Vahine Fierro in the early rounds before eliminating Carissa Moore in a tense quarterfinal. Her semifinal victory over France’s Johanne Defay set up a gold medal showdown with Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb.
The final unfolded as a nail-biting duel. Marks’ perfectly executed barrel ride earned her a crucial 7.50 score, establishing a lead she would defend until the final horn. When victory was confirmed – 10.50 to 10.33 – the emotion overwhelmed her. Four years after heartbreak in Tokyo, Caroline Marks had captured Olympic gold.
“I think about that little girl who started surfing with her brothers in Florida,” Marks said afterward. “She’d never believe this.”
Beyond the Medal: The Power of Vulnerability
In an interview with Outside magazine, Marks offered a revealing glimpse into the mental tools that facilitated her comeback. She discussed journaling, focusing on controllable factors like nutrition and training, and learning to disconnect from social media negativity.
“Being vulnerable is strength,” she insisted. “For a long time, I thought showing any weakness meant I wasn’t tough enough for this sport.”
Her openness resonated far beyond surfing. When fellow elite surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb later withdrew from the WSL tour citing similar mental health concerns, it highlighted how Marks’ courage had created space for others to prioritize wellbeing.
Legendary waterman Kai Lenny called Marks’ journey “a masterclass in overcoming self-doubt,” noting that her willingness to publicly address her struggles made her gold medal victory all the more powerful.
The New Wave: Where Marks Goes From Here
Now crowned with both Olympic gold and a World Title at just 22, Caroline Marks stands at the vanguard of a new generation of athletes who understand that mental health isn’t separate from physical performance—it’s foundational to it.
“I’m still learning what makes me happy,” she said recently. “That’s the journey that never ends, right?”
For the surf world, Marks represents something unprecedented: a champion whose greatest victory wasn’t measured in points or medals, but in rediscovering the joy that launched her career in the first place.
As Teahupo’o’s waves continue their eternal cycle, Caroline Marks’ legacy already extends far beyond what she’s accomplished on a surfboard. By choosing herself – even when it meant stepping away from everything she’d worked toward – she redefined what strength looks like in elite sports.
Sometimes the most direct path to your dreams requires the courage to step back, catch your breath, and remember why you started paddling out in the first place.
While Marks battled the invisible currents of mental pressure, across the sporting world, other athletes have faced even more dramatic comebacks. Few redemption stories rival that of soccer star Christian Eriksen, whose journey back from a heart-stopping moment of crisis on the pitch showed that sometimes, the greatest victories aren’t measured in gold medals, but in heartbeats. Like Marks, Eriksen’s story reminds us that an athlete’s most powerful quality isn’t physical prowess, but the resilience of the human spirit.
Photo: By troy_williams – NSSA caroline marks, CC BY 2.0,
