Team USA's Caroline Marks advanced to the women's surfing semifinals at the 2024 Paris Games, while U.S. reigning Olympic champion Carissa Moore was eliminated from the competition.
In waters off the coast of Teahupo'o, Tahiti, Marks defeated Australia's Tyler Wright in the rescheduled quarterfinals on Thursday night after the event was suspended for two days due to weather.
Marks, a native of Melbourne Beach, Florida, earned a 4.00 on her first wave and a 3.77 on her fifth wave for a total score of 7.77, beating Wright's overall score of 5.37
Marks' victory set up the potential for Team USA to make up half of the semifinal field.
But Moore, who won the first-ever Olympic women's surfing gold at the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, was then bounced by France's Johanne Defay.
Marks and Defay will square off in the semifinal round with a spot in the final on the line. The 22-year-old Marks finished one spot off the podium in Tokyo and will now look to retain the gold for Team USA.
The other semifinal matchup will be between Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb and Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy.
The surfing semifinals and medal finals for both the women's and men's competitions are slated to take place on Saturday, Aug. 3 starting at 1 p.m. ET.
10 Ways To Help Your Body Detoxify Itself Naturally