01x01 - Chasing the Dream

[bunniefuu]

HIROMICHI: [IN JAPANESE]
I started thinking about becoming

a professional surfer around 1974.

Back then, surfers were thought of
as delinquents.

[LAUGHS]

HIROMICHI: A city officer
used to come to the beach.

He'd tell us not to surf there.

They'd say,
"People who surf are up to no good."

I didn't think I'd see surfing in the
Olympics.

The next generation of Japanese surfers
will continue to improve their skills.

The dream of getting a gold medal
might come true soon. [CHUCKLING]

That's what I wish.

[IN ENGLISH] The surf is up in Japan.
Honestly, didn't even know

that there was a lot of surf.

JAMIE: With surfing,
the big thing is, like,

going to chase the great waves.

And that's what we all have been doing.

But it's also about stuff
that happens along the way.

Going somewhere new, going somewhere

where you haven't been before,
and having that adventure.

SARA: The whole beauty about surfing
for me is traveling to see new things,

never ever getting the same wave.

BRAD: You know, surfing has
a whole aspect of it that's competitive.

But that's just a small part of surfing.

Surfing's just so much more
than just the competitive side.

CONNOR: The future of surfing in Japan's
really brought...

there's many talented surfers
coming up into the world stage.

MALE VOICE 1: With their love of surfing
and their artistic approach.

And you can feel it,
surfing really means everything to them.

MALE VOICE 2: [IN JAPANESE]
The image that surfing

is a delinquents' sport was strong.

I think things have started
to depart from that.

FEMALE VOICE: [IN ENGLISH]
For the first time in Olympic history,

surfing is being included
as one of the sports.

MAHINA: My goal, in my life,
I wanna participate in the Olympics

and I wanna train super hard,
I wanna be able to represent Japan.

HIROMICHI: [IN JAPANESE] I feel
like surfing has finally been acknowledged

as a proper sport.

MAHINA: [IN ENGLISH] Today,
the winds are just straight trades,

so it's a little bit on the windier side.

Tomorrow and the day after,
it's supposed to switch

a little bit more east-southeast,
which is really, really good.

That means it's super light.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

MAHINA: There's also that Tahiti swell
that's just kinda hit

pretty gnarly yesterday, so...
that swell's supposed to come in

Tuesday and Wednesday.

Trying to decide whether I wanna go
to Rocky's or Rock Pools,

Monday or Tuesday.

[UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

MAHINA: We're passing Sunset,
which is one of my home-breaks.

My parents' house
is just right across the street

and I live at Sunset, so...
I actually live across the street

from my parents.

Both of my parents are from Japan.

My dad's from down south
and then my mom's from Tokyo.

And they actually happened
to meet in Hawaii.

I am born and raised in Hawaii,
but I have Japanese roots.

So, I felt like I was not fitting in,
because everyone was calling me

the skinny eye, just an Asian girl.

And everyone's telling me,
"Oh, you're Japanese."

And then every time I go to Japan,
I'm like, "No, you're American."

So, I was just kind of lost
in both worlds.

My dad was never, like,
a competitive surfer,

he just did it for fun, and I think
I was around three or four years old,

my dad and I went surfing together
on the same board.

And he found it odd
that I was so happy

and, like, just having so much fun
riding a board with him.

This is my home-break.
One of my favorite spots, actually,

we just passed, it's called Rocky Point.

MAHINA: When I won my first national title
at the age of 13,

that was the game changer for me
'cause it made me so hungry

where I wanted to win.

I even skipped
my elementary school graduation,

I skipped prom, I skipped everything,
because I was so determined

to become a professional surfer.

[MUSIC ENDS]

[WAVES CRASHING]

HIROMICHI: [IN JAPANESE]
What did you think of today's waves?

-MALE VOICE: Yeah, the wind was good.
-HIROMICHI: Oh, really?

I surfed as well this morning.
It was so-so.

I rode a few.

Today is pretty awful with the rain.

Do you think we'll get
a lot of customers today?

Probably not because of the rain.

When we started
it was a hippie type thing to do.

It's still my style.

Surfing has become a sport.

Right?

Does that make you happy?

[BOTH LAUGH]

Happy about it, me?

Me?

Uhh, I'm still not sure.
But, but...

It's not a bad thing.

Japanese people are working hard now,
for the Olympics.

I'd say it's more good than bad.

TOMOHIRO: In the old days,
before competitions, they used to party.

They'd drink and drink.

[TOMOHIRO CHUCKLES]

That made it a good era, didn't it?

YASUMORI: The young people these days
don't do that at all.

Things have changed.

YASUMORI: Yeah, it has.

Surfing was cool
because it was counter-culture.

TAKUJI: [IN ENGLISH]
Kamakura is a beach town

where surfing started.

Kamakura Beach is very close
to the US Naval Base Yokosuka.

All these service men
brought western culture

on their way to serve in Korea.
And then, when Vietnam happened,

that was the invasion of counter-culture.

[UP-BEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

[IN JAPANESE] It was that era when
we all adored foreign culture, western,

not Asian culture.

Surfing, fashion, cars,
were all very cool to me.

TAKUJI: [IN ENGLISH] Lot of people
were exposed to California culture

through the efforts
of the US service guys.

And they surfed, so they would...
on their off days,

they'd come and bring their surfboard.

BRUCE BROWN: The Japanese people
themselves don't go surfing.

They completely close the beaches
if the surf gets over two feet.

Lifeguard, they're in white under-shirt
and white pants,

They just couldn't see
why anyone would be out there

when the surf was big.

HIROMICHI: [IN JAPANESE] They would walk
in swim trunks and carry a longboard

on top of their head.

They looked very cool to me
and that made me start surfing.

[IN ENGLISH] Surfing in Japan,
back in the day, was a sport where...

It was like the rebel sport.

JAMIE: Japan, there were two events
per season.

I was on tour for five years,
so I went to Japan probably ten times.

It is so exotic coming from the US.

There was an incredible buzz
about being a pro surfer

and it was great.
There was a sense of being a star.

It was really fun. They go crazy.
It wasn't just, "Oh, hey, there's Brad."

It was like, "Oh, my God.
Y... Oh, my favorite.

Gerlach! Gerlach! Yeah!"
And then if we're out at night

on top of it, it was really fun.

-ALL: Kampai!
-JAMIE: We were animals,

like the movie Animal House
with John Belushi.

Like, that was the period
and that's kinda how we were.

TAKUJI: In Japan, like,
freedom is quite low on the priority.

Freedom of thoughts, the freedom to think.
It's because it's delivering

and then being accountable
and being honorable.

All these things is opposite
of what West Coast culture is.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

JAMIE: You know, there was
the momentum generation

through the '90s,
and that was Kelly Slater.

And I think Kelly Slater has done,
you know, so much

for making pro surfing look
like a great path to go down.

WADE: Globally, the perception of surfing
has changed to become

like a competitive sport or an industry.

It is a lifestyle and it's a paid job.

MAHINA: I've had a lot of people come up
to me like, "Oh, you're a surfer?

Like, you must party a lot,
or you must be doing this and that."

Like, it's only been seen
as kind of a lifestyle.

I don't think people realize
the amount of work that you need to do

to even choose the career path
to become a professional surfer.

Come here. Look at this...

So this is Duke Kahanamoku's
World of Surfing.

Duke Kahanamoku was the ambassador
of Aloha. The guy that took surfing

and surfing values
and Hawaiian values to the world.

The father of modern surfing.

Page 37, he's talking about the things

that he was doing in 1918.

"Even as early as that date,

I was already thinking of surfing
in terms of how it could someday

become one of the events
in the Olympic Games.

I still believe surfing will one day
be recognized and accepted."

There has been talk of Olympic surfing,
but nothing really has been done,

so we filed an application.
But it was clear that...

I don't know, I was just... [CHUCKLES]

Everybody looked at me like,

"What are you talking about?
Are you crazy?"

WADE: Over the course
of the last 20 years,

I can only imagine Fernando's path.

All the work behind the scenes
that nobody gets to see.

I'm pretty sure it was a mountain
to move.

I think I've spent all my life
promoting the culture,

the lifestyle,

the values of surfing around the world.

MALE VOICE: Those in favor
of this proposal, raise your hands.

They were gonna announce the new sports.
And I remember coming out of the water

this one afternoon.
And I just ran to my phone

and I was like, "Okay, like, here it is."
Like, they started naming the names,

karate, skateboarding,
and then they said, "surfing."

And it was just this, like, huge moment.
I was like, "Whoa!"

MALE VOICE: This proposal
is unanimously approved. Congratulations.

-[AUDIENCE APPLAUDS]
-FERNANDO: It was a vote.

And when
they all say, "Unanimous,"

I was crying. And I ran away.
And I go outside to my family.

FEMALE ANCHOR: Surfing will make
its Olympic debut

at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

MALE ANCHOR 1: For the first time ever,
surfers will be competing in the Olympics.

MALE ANCHOR 2: Surfing will also feature
at Tokyo 2020,

much to the delight of Masatoshi Ohno.

I never imagined surfing
being in Olympics. It was quite exciting.

HIROTO: [IN JAPANESE]
The Olympics will be held in my hometown,

of course, I want to be there.

FERNANDO: [IN ENGLISH]
It's a very special moment

in the history of the sport.

And hopefully, you know,
we're being selected for Tokyo,

but we'll do what we have to do
so we stay and... and we inspire

not just surfers,
but hopefully, other people.

[IN JAPANESE] The 2020 Olympics
is taking place in Japan's waters.

I'm going to do my best
and aim for gold.

FERNANDO: [IN ENGLISH]
The morning after the vote,

president of the Olympic Federation says,

"Congratulations.
Now the real work starts." I said, "No."

MAHINA: Hi, Uncle Garrett.

GARRETT: Mahina-san!

-It's been a while.
-Hi.

[SPEAKS JAPANESE INDISTINCTLY]

-Oh, it's so windy.
-Yeah.

I've always been Uncle Garrett.

And whenever I see her, it's like,
you know, like nothing's changed.

MAHINA: How's your body feeling?

Amazing. Every... My... My legs
are stronger than they've ever been

in my life.

GARRETT: I grew up here on the North Shore

and my local break was Haleʻiwa.
I had become friends

with this guy named Maeda Yasuo,
Mahina's dad.

We surfed together,
hung out together,

so I'd known Mahina before she was born

and saw her from diapers.

Thanks, Uncle Garrett.

Bam!

GARRETT: Her dad actually...

took her to Haleʻiwa all the time
and Rocky Point and Sunset,

and nurtured her desire to surf,
or maybe sparked it.

And then she got focused on contests,
and then she was number one

when she was 16.

And so, from there, it just...
[EXHALES]

And then, sh... she wasn't training
back then, I don't think.

But now, I mean, she is a fitness machine.

["CATCH ME" PLAYING]

MAHINA: I grew up in a society
where Americans take care of their kids

by, even if you do bad in an event,
you are always saying,

"Oh, good job, good job."

On the other hand,

coming from a Japanese background
and Japanese family,

whatever you do, bad or good,
they'll tell you, you did bad.

[SONG CONTINUES]

MAHINA: I did have a really
tough relationship with my family.

And it had a lot to do with surfing.

I didn't have much of a childhood.
I was just already kind of pushed into,

like, this professional thing too quick,
too fast, and too hard.

I was really lost with what
I wanted to do.

Did I only start surfing
for my parents' sake?

Do I actually like surfing?
Do I even wanna be a world champion?

That was the point in my life
where I just didn't know what I want.

In the end, I moved out at the age of 18.

I wanted to quit surfing.

[SONG ENDS]

KID: Let's start warming up
with punch-through. Jab, jab!

And just... just to warm up.

-Full punch.
-MAHINA: Okay.

[BOTH LAUGH]

First time I met Mahina,
she might have been 16.

And she was this tough little cookie,
angry, full chip on her shoulder.

And in the beginning, she would come in
and have a bad attitude and gossip.

And third time, I turned to her,
I said, "Mahina,

I don't wanna hear any negativity.
I don't wanna hear you

talk bad about anybody."

That day she stopped.

She was looking for guidance
and direction.

Her parents were super hard on her.
Very traditional Japanese.

Their form of loving is to be super hard.

Very good.

-[GRUNTS]
-I'm sorry. Did I grab you really hard?

Growing up in Hawaii, you have examples
of ultra-successful people.

John John Florence, Carissa Moore.

You grew up with these expectations
that your kid,

"Oh, she's the next Carissa."

So, these parents are really,
really hard on their kids.

She would win,
and she would get scolded

for not surfing so great.

It's... It's a tough thing

for a young person to grow up with
and to deal with.

MAHINA: At that point in my life,
I felt like I was at my lowest,

and Kid literally has brought me up
from the ground.

[BOTH GRUNTING, LAUGHING]

I would always ask her the same questions.
And I ask her,

"Are you loved? Are you beautiful?
Are you special?"

And for a while, the answers were,
"No and no and no."

The hardest part was special.

Because she just didn't feel

like she was special because...

a lot of the stuff

that was conveyed to her
is that she was just not so great.

MAHINA: The one thing that Kid taught me
and reminded me

is what you're happy with.

I'm happy because the friends and family

that support me,
telling me how beautiful I am,

how great of a person I am.
And...

that really changed my mindset.

I was able to really realize
why I wanted to keep surfing,

why I started surfing,
and what my dream is.

I wanna be the Japanese female surfer
in winning a medal

'cause I wanna also inspire
more Asian and half-Asian surfers

in just making their dream come true.

[SLOW-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

[SEWING MACHINE WHIRS]

[IN JAPANESE]
Coach, it's been a while!

-Oh, how are you?
-I'm good!

-And you?
-I'm good!

I was hoping I could join
the kids' class today.

Yes, please!

SHINO: Hello.

-Hello.
-[CHILDREN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

SHINO: Hello. Can you sit?

BOY: How did you get started with surfing?

Let me show you something.

I was probably a first grader.

And that first wave that I caught...

the feeling from being on the ground
is so different.

It was really fun.

So, I started attending surfing school.

[UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

SHINO: When I was a little
I watched this DVD of surfer girls.

Carissa Moore, who got the world titles,
was one of the surfers

featured in the video.

She is a very positive person
and she's great at surfing, so

I wish to be a surfer who is strong
and positive just like her.

GIRL: We are same age here.

BOY: You were way better than us.

SHINO: No, you guys are better than me.

SHINO: There was a competition in Japan
where I could become

a certified professional.

So, I participated and passed
the pro requirements at fourteen.

And I started touring as a professional
when I was fifteen.

MASATOSHI: [IN ENGLISH]
She entered a Japanese professional tour

and I was blown away
by how she surfed.

So, I called my sponsor
and told them, "Let's get this girl."

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

MASATOSHI:
The way she surfed was really dynamic,

like a bird.

How she surfs, she's like a bird,
using her arms.

SHINO: [IN JAPANESE]
The Olympic games

are seen
by many people around the world, so...

I was really happy when surfing qualified
as one of the Olympic events.

MASATOSHI: [IN ENGLISH]
2019, she provisionally qualified

for the Olympics. The media blew up.

FEMALE ANCHOR: [IN JAPANESE]
"Provisionally qualified Olympian,

Shino Matsuda, is participating
in today's competition."

MASATOSHI: [IN ENGLISH]
Everybody was saying,

"Oh, you're... you're 99 percent...


Everyone treated her
like she was in the Olympics, confirmed.

Hundred percent.

PRODUCER: And what does
"provisionally qualified" mean?

I... I also don't know.
The cr... Provisionally qualified mean...

doesn't mean nothing, basically.

But the media make it such a big deal.

SHINO: [IN JAPANESE] When I was chosen
to be a model for a Barbie doll,

I was so shocked
that I couldn't believe it.

They told me the reason
I was chosen was because

I am a role model
who can inspire younger girls

to have courage and dreams in their life.

I'd like to make that happen
by getting a medal.

[IN ENGLISH] Going into El Salvador,
she still had to qualify.

JAMIE: Ninety-five percent
of the professional surfers,

they're on the competition circuit.
You get sponsored, promote yourself,

and that's how they earn their money.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[IN JAPANESE] I always wanted
to support myself financially

by being a professional surfer.

But I had a fight with my sponsor.

I asked them for more money
to surf in a competition

but they didn't approve!

So, I said, "Shut up, you stupid idiot!"
and quit.

JAMIE: [IN ENGLISH]
And then there are other surfers

we often call free surfers.

It's individualist, it's like a dance,
there is no real

kinda right or wrong way to do it.

You just go out there
and you feel the ocean.

But free surfing is almost
like a misnomer because,

in fact, they're, like, needing
to be documented at all times.

Some will be going on road trips
and then making films out of that

to get sponsored, promote yourself,
and then perpetuate that.

[SLOW-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

YUMA: [IN JAPANESE] It is said that
there are two different types of surfers.

Surfers who compete and surfers who don't.

That's pretty clear cut.

Four or five years ago,

I quit competing and learned about
the world of alternative surfing and

gradually became more interested in Japan.

I'm Japanese and was born
and raised here but

as a result of going abroad a lot,
I started to see the perspective of Japan

from the outside.

I thought it would be really interesting
if I could travel around Japan

with a camping car that I build.

[MUSIC FADES]

YUMA: The mic is on as well.

Yuma's camping car build video.

Take one. Here we go!

Hello everyone!

I am Yuma Takanuki.

Hello.

That's not it.

As you can see,
we are inside the car.

This is what it looks like in the back.

This van, I'm calling it Rosa, for now.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

YUMA: I will remodel this myself.

[EXHALES]

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

YUMA: I will make a kitchen
and make a place for my surf boards.

And will also make a place to sleep.
I'm turning this into a camping car.

[IN ENGLISH] Took all the parts out.
Like, there's nothing on the floor.

No floor, no walls,

no walls on top...

no AC.

[IN JAPANESE]
I'll pass the vehicle inspection

and travel around Japan with this car.

My desire to know Japan deepened
and as a result

I decided that I needed to travel
across Japan.

To see a lot of places,
meet a lot of people,

and experience culture.

I want to feel with my own body
and hands.

I also wanted to do this while surfing.

In order to move around with surfboards,
the camping car was the only way.

[MUSIC FADES]

h*-h*!

Mr. Kanai, hello!

It looks super cool.

Wow, the top is pretty incredible.

-We have solar panels on top.
-ISAO: Oh!

We are also going to put a rack
on the front so that we can sleep on top.

Is that so? That's so great.

Yuma, I'd like to have you select
the material.

There are many different materials
for the tatami mat.

Japanese-style houses
always have tatami.

The house I lived in
when I was a child also had tatami.

My room had tatami.

When I smell the tatami,
I remember those days.

Japan has four distinct seasons.

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

So our ancestors made a mat
that is suitable for that.

I thought it was a great idea
to put tatami in the van.

YUMA: It's either this one or this one.

SHIORI: This is the one I was eyeing
over there as well.

When the guy asked me if I liked this one
or the blue one

-I thought this one is the best.
-ISAO: Hmm, hmm, hmm.

YUMA: Mm.

YUMA: We met at our home break.

It was right before spring,

we met in the sea
and became close from there.

At the end of January,
our child will be born.

So we'll travel as a three person family
all across Japan.

This will be our first home.

Until they are in elementary school,

we'll travel around and hopefully find
the place we want to live.

So we need to travel lots
for research purposes.

I will think of you as I travel.

ISAO: Thank you.

YUMA: As long as I don't get an accident.

ISAO: Have a great trip.

It's Yuma Takanuki.

The sunset is unreal.

And over here is crazy beautiful.

[IN ENGLISH] Double rainbow.

[IN JAPANESE] For the past five months,
I've been here in Fukui.

Working on this camping van.

The van is 98% done,

we just need to put a carrier
over the roof,

then a terrace over it.

This thing is super big.

Shiori-chan is now seven months pregnant.

So, I don't want to take her with me
on a strenuous trip.

Besides, we'll be traveling
here and there.

We'll move around on a tight schedule

and go to rugged or wild locations.

So, I think it's a little too dangerous
for Shiori to join this trip.

So, I decided to travel with Guy.

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

Okay, this time we're really,
really leaving!

Thank you, everyone!

So long!

[IN ENGLISH] Super early in the morning.
I forgot why I did...

why I chose this flight.

The 2021 ISA World Surfing Games
in El Salvador was the final qualifier

for the Olympics.

Most of the top Japanese athletes
dream to qualify in El Salvador.

The painful truth is we could only
take four to the Olympics

so we got into a situation
where it was more of a surf-off

between Mahina and Shino,

who was, provisionally qualified
for the Olympics.

Shino had to deal with the media,
to deal with the pressure,

and from looking outside in,
that was like a real heavy weight.

KID: Yeah, I love you.

WADE: So, it was
a pressure cooker situation.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

This is always an emotional time
because she is leaving

for a serious competition
and it's always sad because I miss her.

She's such a big part
of my and Sussi's life.

WADE: Surfing is an individual sport,
but when we go to ISA World Games,

you bring all the individuals into a team,
into a group,

and that's how you make your team.
So, it's kinda based as a team sport.

And then when you go to the Olympics,

sure, you represent your country
as an athlete.

So, it almost becomes
an individual sport again.

[ALL CHUCKLING]

MAHINA: The coolest part about surfing
in the ISA events,

we get to travel as a team,
which is super unusual.

And then we all get to stay
in the same accommodations,

have team meetings,
which we never do as an individual sport.

Being able to represent
and having these cheers...

[ALL CHEERING]

Pretty embarrassing,
but super fun at the same time.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER:
Welcome to the action

here at the 2021
El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games.

Olympic qualification is on the line.

[IN JAPANESE] From the beginning,
I believed that Kanoa and I

would be in the Olympics.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: [IN ENGLISH]
Hiroto Ohhara!

-Another huge turn to Hiroto Ohhara!
-MALE ANNOUNCER 2: The nail in the coffin.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: You could be watching
his Olympic dream come true.

MALE ANNOUNCER 2: At a 9.00,
congratulations to Hiroto Ohhara,

guarantees his spot in the Olympics.

[ALL CHEERING]

KANOA: It's just becoming
more and more real.

I'm getting closer and closer

to calling myself an Olympian.
And possibly, you know,

coming home with the gold medal
around my neck.

So, what a great time to be a surfer.

MALE ANNOUNCER 2: He's got this!

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: Kanoa Igarashi
pre-qualified for the Olympics.

Obviously, he's come down here
with the intent to take home

the ISA gold medal as well.

But he's saying it's all about
the team now putting up points,

and this is gonna be big
in the scoreline for Kanoa Igarashi.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER 1: Shino Matsuda,
representing Japan, qualified through

the World Surfing Games back in 2019.

WADE: Shino still had her provisional
Olympic qualifications locked.

But we had three women
going for two positions.

It was up to Mahina and Amuro
to carry on competing

in the main event,

which could put both those girls
into the Olympic slot

and Shino out of the Olympic slot.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1:
And here we go, Mahina Maeda,

charging hard to potentially fill

that second spot on Team Japan
for the women.

WADE: With Mahina, I think the conditions
in the waves

suited her surfing to a T.
She grew up in Hawaii.

The waves that she surfed in
that event were very similar to a...

a good day at Rocky Point.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: Nice close-out turn,
feeling the passion there.

Surfer in red, Mahina Maeda.

[EXHALES DEEPLY]
Okay, this is it.

MASATOSHI:
Shino looked good in the beginning.

It's just that one heat
went wrong for her.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER 1: What happened
at the end of that wave, Jodie?

FEMALE ANNOUNCER 2: Yeah.
You could tell she just...

she didn't like what she saw.

WADE: Watching this last heat with Shino,
I kinda see, maybe it didn't create

a rhythm to catching the best waves.

Waves are super choppy

with the onshore wind,
difficult to select the correct waves,

you know, to allow you scoring potential.

MASATOSHI: She needed a small score.
Four-point or five-point.

Not that big of a score.
But she didn't get a wave

or she couldn't get a wave.

SHINO: [IN JAPANESE]
If I say that the waves didn't come,

it might be a bit of an excuse.

During the competition,
no one can control the wave conditions

because that's just nature.

So I had to accept my results as is.

MALE ANNOUNCER 1: [IN ENGLISH] Here we go,
Mahina Maeda. Powerhouse surfer.

What a way to qualify.

Second to last day here
at the ISA World Surfing Games.

And Mahina Maeda,
she just stamped her ticket

to Tokyo to represent Team Japan
in their home Olympic Games

for the first time ever.

["HOME" PLAYING]

Guys, I qualified! [SQUEALS]

[CHEERING]

Go Mahina!

-I'm so happy!
-[CHEERING]

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Well, there's so much
Olympic excitement down here.

Mahina Maeda, another surfer qualified
for the Olympics. Congratulations.

[SONG CONTINUES]

[IN JAPANESE] I didn't get
the qualification for the Olympics

and I was mortified.

[SONG CONTINUES]

FERNANDO: [IN ENGLISH]
When the whole competition was done,

four Japanese were qualified.

Two men and two women.

It was a very huge moment
for surfing in Japan.

MASATOSHI: The final Olympic team
was Mahina Maeda,

Amuro Tsuzuki,

Kanoa Igarashi, and Hiroto Ohhara.

[SONG CONTINUES]

To having you back. To having...

-In the eye.
-...our family together.

And we're very, very proud of you.

-We're very, very proud of you.
-Thank you, guys!

Being able to participate in the Olympics,
especially the first Olympics,

and to become an Olympian
is such a special thing to say.

[SONG CONTINUES]

YUMA: [IN JAPANESE]
It's probably over 1500 kms.

It's pretty far but it's rare to travel
so long in Japan, so I am pretty excited.

MAHINA: [IN ENGLISH]
All I can think of right now is,

"I don't wanna win silver and bronze,
I wanna win gold."

There is a reason why I am here today.

I don't wanna say I'm just an Olympian.

I wanna say, "I am a gold medalist."

[SONG ENDS]

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC ENDS]