Team USA Olympics star Carissa Moore on her battle with depression, stepping away to start a family... and why she'll be 10,000 miles away from the Opening Ceremony in Paris

When thousands of athletes be nan Olympic opening ceremonial connected July 26, surfer Carissa Moore will beryllium among nan unlucky fewer missing out.

Close to 10,000 miles distant from Paris, Moore will beryllium successful Tahiti - perchance enjoying a lower-key section parade - arsenic she and her chap competitors fresh for action extracurricular of nan French mainland.

'Regardless,' she said, 'I'm getting dressed up.'

Surfing is not nan only athletics that will return spot extracurricular nan confines of Paris this summer, arsenic equestrian athletes compete successful Versailles, shot (in part) is held successful Nice and section lucky is successful nan adjacent suburb of Colombes.  

Still, it's difficult to not consciousness a spot of sympathy for nan five-time world champion and surfing icon Moore, who had a likewise isolated acquisition during nan Tokyo Olympics. 

In 2021, she was stationed astir 2 hours distant from nan Japanese superior successful nan municipality of Ichinomiya, and enjoyed a 'whole small [opening] ceremony' pinch nan in-person celebrations broadcasted connected TV. And nan champion she tin dream for this summertime will beryllium a likewise makeshift experience.

'I'm a small disappointed that we're truthful acold away,' she said astatine Team USA's media summit. 'I'm excited, obviously, to beryllium successful Tahiti and compete there. 

'But to beryllium truthful acold distant from everything - I haven't had nan actual, for illustration Olympic acquisition rather yet. And not that I'm getting old. But I don't cognize really galore Olympics I'll beryllium a portion of. But hopefully we'll get to get a level complete location and cheque retired nan closing ceremony.'

While Moore will beryllium acold distant from nan hustle and bustle of Paris, nan Olympic colony and galore of her chap athletes, she's still looking guardant to Tahiti.

She and her USA surfing teammates will enactment pinch her 'favorite' big family, a group that she was antecedently introduced to done her sponsors Red Bull.

As nan 31-year-old goes for her 2nd Olympic golden medal, her belly will beryllium fed pinch home-cooked meals, and she'll slumber correct by nan h2o she'll beryllium competing on.    

'I deliberation nan champion measurement to acquisition a spot is done a local’s eyes and section nutrient and successful their home. So it's really cool,' she said.

'We person nan astir beautiful position of nan venue from their beforehand yard, and a dock to person nan skis and stuff… I mean, each of nan families location are lovely. The group are conscionable amazing. It reminds maine a batch of location that they each person nan aloha tone and really invited you in.'

These Olympics could Moore's past arsenic she announced successful January that she'd beryllium leaving nan competitory surfing tour.

Ever observant not to telephone her adjacent section a 'retirement' - she told nan New York Times she was 'stepping back... aliases evolving' - she plans to commencement a family pinch her hubby Luke Untermann.

Her clip retired of nan h2o will besides beryllium filled by her foundation, Moore Aloha, and a documentary that Red Bull is producing connected her.

Moore's measurement backmost from surfing came aft 'following my bosom and nan joy,' she said. And nan legendary surfer, who burst onto nan pro segment 14 years agone and became Surf Magazine's youngest ever screen star, has agelong been successful touch pinch her emotions.

She admitted this outpouring to experiencing a 'mental slump' pursuing her 3rd world title successful 2015, which forced her to reevaluate her career.

'I deliberation I was conscionable benignant of going done nan motions and really struggling pinch redefining myself and what occurrence looks for illustration for myself,' she said. 'I felt for illustration I was benignant of doing it for everyone else. And that bled into my individual life. I benignant of mislaid nan joyousness for a while. 

'I benignant of deed stone bottom, was a spot depressed, dealing pinch anxiety. And that's erstwhile I really decided okay, things person sewage to change. Surfing’s ever been joyful. I emotion my life. I conscionable had gotten married. And truthful something's a spot off. So that's erstwhile I really started to crushed myself successful nan process and uncovering nan joyousness again.'

She'll surely dream to consciousness that connected nan Teahupo’o activity successful Tahiti, which she called a 'wonder of nan world.'

Another USA h2o athlete, Daniela Moroz, will besides beryllium removed from nan Olympic guidelines successful Paris.

The 23-year-old sailor and her peers will beryllium competing successful Marseille, wherever she'd already moved successful April up of this summer's games.

Moroz said she'll still beryllium attending nan opening ceremonial and wasn't worried astir her accommodations lacking a benignant of Olympic feel.

'We'll still person a village… nan power will beryllium there,' she told Mail Sport. 'And that ambiance will beryllium there. And it'll still beryllium like, rather precocious unit and stuff. So I deliberation I deliberation it's gonna consciousness beautiful existent erstwhile we’re there.'

For Moroz, nan other clip successful Marseille (she's besides spent clip location nan past 2 years) has helped her set to nan upwind patterns and waves she whitethorn spot this summer.

Moore, who competed successful Tahiti successful May, will besides person been appreciative of her erstwhile acquisition pinch nan island's challenging waves.

'The measurement that nan h2o goes from really heavy to really shallow and then... conscionable benignant of folds complete itself. It's crazy,' she said.

As she embarks connected her 2nd (and perchance final) Olympic Games, she'll purpose to adhd to her stuffed trophy furniture - and support way of her chap competitors from afar. 

'We'll decidedly beryllium having immoderate benignant of watercourse going.'