Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy has finished fourth in surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, narrowly missing out on a medal but improving on her fifth-place finish from Tokyo 2020.
In challenging conditions at Teahupo’o, Tahiti, Hennessy advanced to the semifinals where she faced Brazilian surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb. The semifinal proved difficult for Hennessy, as she incurred an interference penalty early in the heat, losing the points from her second-best wave. This error, combined with Weston-Webb’s strong performance, resulted in Hennessy’s elimination from gold medal contention with a score of 6.17 against Weston-Webb’s 16.66. On a lighter note, during the semis, a whale breached not far from where Hennessy and Weston-Webb were surfing. Weston-Webb went on to win the silver medal in the final against US surfer Caroline Marks.
In the bronze medal match, Hennessy competed against French surfer Johanne Defay. Still affected by her earlier setback, Hennessy struggled to find her rhythm. Defay employed a strategy of riding multiple smaller waves to accumulate points, while Hennessy waited for larger waves that didn’t materialize. The final scores saw Defay secure the bronze with 12.66 points to Hennessy’s 4.93.
Despite the disappointment of finishing just off the podium, Hennessy’s fourth-place finish represents an improvement from her Tokyo 2020 performance and solidifies her status as one of the world’s top surfers. Speaking afterwards, she thanked Costa Rica for the love she’d received and said she couldn’t have done it alone.
“I’m a little sad,” she went on to say, “But for all the boys and girls who are on this journey of life, there is not only sunshine and rainbows, there is a lot of rain too, but we keep going and thank you, Pura Vida!”
¡Bravo Brisa!👏 || La surfista costarricense Brisa Hennessy envía un emotivo mensaje a todos los costarricenses, especialmente a sus seguidores más jóvenes, sobre la vida. 🤩🏄♀️🇨🇷
Hennessy es la cuarta mejor surfista del mundo en los Juegos Olímpicos @Paris2024. 👏#París2024… pic.twitter.com/XBv1rR4YFe
— La República (@La_Republica) August 6, 2024
Historical Context
While Hennessy didn’t secure a medal, her fourth-place finish is still significant for Costa Rica. It marks the country’s best Olympic result since the swimming medals of the Poll sisters. Silvia Poll won Costa Rica’s first Olympic medal, a silver in the Women’s 200m Freestyle at Seoul 1988. Her sister, Claudia Poll, won gold in the same event at Atlanta 1996, along with two bronze medals at Sydney 2000.
In the broader Central American context, Guatemala made history at these Paris Olympics, winning two medals in shooting: a gold and a bronze. These results, alongside Hennessy’s strong performance, represent a notable showing for the region at the 2024 Games.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are kicking off this week and we figured it would be a great idea to pay homage to the athletes representing Central America at the Olympics. Here’s our guide to your Central America Olympic athletes#OlympicGames https://t.co/8pm7rRoplg
— Central America Living (@VidaAmerica) July 24, 2024
Hennessy’s Journey to Olympic Success
Born in San José in 1999, Brisa Hennessy’s path to the Olympics began in Matapalo, on the Osa Peninsula. Her American parents, who moved to Costa Rica in 1995, established a surf school there, introducing Hennessy to the sport at age three.
Cabo Matapalo is a challenging place to cut your teeth in surfing. Home of a tight-knit surfing community, the local break features a steep, powerful right-hand point that can produce waves up to triple overhead, stretching for 300 meters in optimal conditions.
At eight, Hennessy moved with her family to Hawaii, where she began competing professionally. Her teenage years saw her frequently traveling to Fiji, where she continued to hone her skills on some of the world’s most challenging waves. Her parents eventually moved to Namotu Island, Fiji, which became her home base through the pandemic. Nowadays, she spends her life on the international pro-surfing circuit, moving from one country to the next.
Whale of a time.@AFP photographer Jerome Brouillet captures a whale breaching as Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb and Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy compete in the women’s surfing semi-finals, during the 2024 #Olympics , in Teahupo’o, on the French Polynesian Island of Tahiti pic.twitter.com/OrUTScyOFe
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 6, 2024
Olympic Journey and Professional Career
Hennessy made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games (held in 2021 due to the pandemic), where surfing was introduced as an Olympic sport. She finished in 5th place in the Women’s Shortboard event with a score of 6.83, establishing herself as a competitive force at the highest level of the sport.
Following her impressive Olympic debut, Hennessy continued to make her mark in professional surfing. In the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour, she has consistently ranked among the top surfers globally. Her performance has shown steady improvement, finishing 15th in Women’s Shortboard in 2021, then achieving her career-best result of 5th overall in 2022. In 2023, she maintained her elite status with a 12th place finish.
Hennessy has also represented Costa Rica in the ISA World Surfing Games, a key event in the surfing calendar. In 2021, she placed 21st in Women’s Shortboard at El Sunzal, El Salvador. She significantly improved her performance in 2024, finishing 8th in the same event at Arecibo, Puerto Rico. This strong showing played a crucial role in her qualification for the Paris Olympics.
Brisa Hennessy makes Costa Rica proud at #Paris2024! 4th place in Olympic surfing, narrowly missing bronze. Showing the world Tico talent in Teahupo’o’s epic waves! Next stop: Olympic podium! #BrisaHennessy #OlympicSurfing #puravida https://t.co/cVt9e9wtxy
— The Tico Times (@TheTicoTimes) August 6, 2024
Impact on Costa Rica
Hennessy’s Olympic journey highlights Costa Rica’s potential as a surfing destination. Surfing contributes significantly to the economy, attracting about 20% of foreign tourism annually. According to former Presidential and Ministry of Sport Advisor Fabian Marrero, some 400,000 surfers bring in $830 million to Costa Rica each year. In 2018, Costa Rica passed a law declaring surfing of public interest and established a National Surfing Day (the third Saturday in October).
Hennessy’s achievement should inspire the next generation of Costa Rican surfers and draw more international attention to the country’s top surf spots.
