South African Surfer Jordy Smith Selected for Tokyo Olympics

Red Bull surfing athlete, Jordy Smith has been officially confirmed as part of the team that will travel to Tokyo, Japan for the upcoming Summer Olympics, kicking off next month as surfing makes its debut in the Games.

Smith has said that this opportunity wasn’t even on the radar for him as he never thought it was possible. “Going to the Olympics wasn’t something I grew up thinking about – it wasn’t a reality yet. Once I heard of surfing’s inclusion, I thought about what the process to qualify would be so I could make sure I was there.”

Smith, the first surfer to qualify for the Games, has spent much last year or so preparing by dialling down his eating and training, and ensuring he has the right board for the smaller waves in Japan.  He told World Surf League: “My training in the lead-up to the Games is different to usual training for the World Tour as the spot is completely new to most. I actually headed out to where the competition will run in Chiba to make sure I’ll be as prepared as I can be with whatever conditions are thrown at us.”

 Smith added: “To be able to get a medal and inspire people in South Africa at the games would be one of the best moments in my career. The only thing left is to win gold.”

The window period for the Surfing event opens on 25 July.