Sanoa Dempfle-Olin bobbed in the Pacific waves with her face in her hands when she realized what was ahead of her.
The 18-year-old surfer from Tofino, qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games by reaching Monday鈥檚 Pan American Games women鈥檚 final. No Canadians surfed when the sport made its Olympic debut in Tokyo just over two years ago.
With Brazilian finalist Tatiana Weston-Webb already bound for Paris 鈥� although the French Polynesian island of Tahiti will provide the Olympic surfing venue 鈥� the 18-year-old Canadian needed a semifinal win for Olympic qualification.
Dempfle-Olin posted two strong scores early in the semifinal session for a 10-4.20 win over Costa Rica鈥檚 Leilani McGonagle.
鈥淕etting towards the end of the heat, I was in the lead, and before the buzzer sounds, anything can happen,鈥� Dempfle-Olin told The Canadian Press.
鈥淎s soon as I heard the countdown and heard the buzzer sound, I definitely felt all the emotions, releasing the pressure, all of it from the last two weeks of training here.
鈥淪o after the heat, after it was official and the buzzer sounded, I had my head in my hands for a few minutes and just soaked it all in. Kind of let go and felt all the emotions.鈥�
Dempfle-Olin (pronounced DEM鈥�-flee oh-lin) was mobbed by teammates on the shoreline after emerging from the sea at Punta de Lobos, roughly 220 kilometres southwest of Santiago, Chile.
鈥淚t still doesn鈥檛 feel real but on the jet-ski ride back into the beaches, I didn鈥檛 even believe it,鈥� she said. 鈥淪eeing them all on the beach made it extra-special. It confirmed it.鈥�
The Canadian ended the day with a silver medal. She was beaten 12.33-10.13 by the 27-year-old veteran Weston-Webb for gold.
鈥淪he鈥檚 an amazing surfer and on tour for years. I鈥檝e looked up to her pretty much my whole life,鈥� Dempfle-Olin said.
鈥淚n my semifinal, I was lucky to get the ball rolling pretty quick and get my two scoring waves pretty quickly. The final, it was a little bit harder to find them. It was a bit messier out there and the rip was also really strong, so it was super-hard to stay in position. It took me a little longer to find waves that had great potential.鈥�
Dempfle-Olin鈥檚 Olympic qualification is provisional upon her competing in the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico.
Two Canadians would have to finish both ahead of her and among the top seven women in Puerto Rico to knock Dempfle-Olin off her Olympic berth.
That鈥檚 a tall order with over 100 women competing for seven remaining Olympic spots, Surf Canada executive director Dom Domic said.
鈥淚 would bet the house that Sanoa has fully punched her ticket to Paris 24,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 literally almost assured.鈥�
Dempfle-Olin鈥檚 older sister, Mathea, earned Pan Am Games bronze when the sport was introduced in Lima, Peru in 2019. The sisters grew up surfing Tofino鈥檚 cold waters in wetsuits.
鈥淢y sister gave me lots of good advice,鈥� Dempfle-Olin said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 just kind of been my inspiration for my whole life. She鈥檚 pushed me and she鈥檚 my biggest supporter and my best friend.
鈥淏efore every heat and at night before bed we鈥檇 message each other and she just remind me that I鈥檝e put in all the hard work and that if it was meant to happen for me that it would.
鈥淚 think she鈥檚 feeling some of my joy.鈥�
Mathea, 20, didn鈥檛 qualify for Santiago, but Sanoa did by finishing fourth in April鈥檚 Pan American Surfing Games in Panama.
Olympic surfing will happen 15,000 kilometres away from Paris in Teahupo鈥檕, Tahiti. The Dempfle-Olin sisters got a taste of the 鈥淲all of Skulls鈥� and its mammoth barrels at a September training camp.
鈥淭he wave is extremely challenging because often it鈥檚 very big when it鈥檚 good and it鈥檚 very thick wave,鈥� Dempfle-Olin said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 over very shallow reef and there鈥檚 just kind of a lot that could go wrong there. It鈥檚 also a very beautiful wave, in a very beautiful place and you can definitely get some of the best rides your life there.鈥�
Dempfle-Olin will surf in the world junior championship Nov. 24 to Dec. 3 in Rio de Janeiro.
Canada didn鈥檛 qualify a surfer for Tokyo, although Cody Young received a late invitation due to a COVID-related vacancy in the men鈥檚 field. The Hawaii-based surfer wasn鈥檛 able to get to Tokyo in time, however, because of pandemic-related travel issues.
A young woman qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games nine months out can help raise the sport鈥檚 profile in Canada, Domic said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great for surfing in Canada,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t just validates all the work that we鈥檝e been putting and the culture that we鈥檝e been building over the decades and of course you鈥檝e got to give it to Sanoa and her family and everybody that鈥檚 been supporting her.鈥�
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