Surf: It was a dream since I was a child, Kauli Vaast, the Olympic champion qualifies for the pro tour

French surfer, Olympic champion at the 2024 Olympics, has secured one of the qualifying spots to participate in the Championship Tour this season, the professional surfing circuit, becoming the tenth Frenchman in history to reach it.

Kauli Vaast, the 24-year-old surfer, reached the second round of the last stage of the Challenger Series – the 2nd division – in Australia this Tuesday and accumulated enough points to guarantee a place in the top 10 of the overall ranking, ensuring a promotion.

“I am super happy and proud to be on the CT. It has been a dream since I was a child,” said the Tahitian to the organizers of the World Surf League (WSL).

Although he has already participated in some events within the elite by invitation from the organizers, he will make his official debut as a CT regular at the famous spot of Bells Beach in Australia, beginning in early April.

There will be two French surfers on the pro tour in 2026, with Vaast joining Marco Mignot, who qualified in 2025 and finished 16th in the overall ranking last year. There will also be two French women: Vahine Fierro and the young prodigy Tya Zebrowski.

Vaast, who grew up near the famous Teahupo’o wave where he won the first Olympic title in French surfing history, has been part of the Challenger Series since 2021.

After a 2024 year focused more on his Olympic dream, he has been very successful this season in the elite’s antechamber, finishing 2nd in the first stage in Newcastle (Australia) and winning the Ericeira Pro in Portugal.

“It was challenging to transition from the energy of the Olympics to the pace of the circuit. I worked hard, but it has always been one of my main goals,” highlighted Vaast to the WSL.

“This is a major milestone in the career of the French Olympic champion, who thus achieves a goal pursued since his early days on the waves of French Polynesia,” praised the French Surf Federation on Tuesday in a statement.