Gisborne's Saffi Vette wins the Open Women's Division final at the Surfing New Zealand National Championships 2021. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Saffi Vette's thoughts quickly turned to her late father after her selection as one of two New Zealand surfers for the Olympics.
Vette and Billy Stairmand have been named for the competition at Teahupoʻo in Tahiti, far away from the main Olympics fanfare in Paris.
It will be the first Olympics for Vette, 22, and the second for Stairmand, 34.
Vette, from Gisborne, lost her father, Andrew, to cancer in 2020. He was also a renowned surfer and her driving force in the sport, she said.
"Dad introduced me to surfing and I'm so grateful for that.
"I want to work hard for something that he's given me, this opportunity to excel in a sport that I love. I also want to thank my mum as well, she's always been amazing and has really helped me to keep the dream alive these past few years. I wouldn't be where I am without them and without the community I've had around me."
Vette, who recently secured a place on the World Surf League Challenger Series, said her Olympics selection was a dream come true.
"I watched the Olympics growing up but never thought surfing would be involved. It's a huge opportunity to be amongst so many amazing athletes and it's a pretty massive achievement for a girl from Gisborne."
New Zealand surfer Billy Stairmand during the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Vette and eight-time national champion Stairmand have just spent two weeks training at Teahupo'o, regarded as one of the world's great reef breaks.
"The wave itself is intense," Stairmand, who finished ninth at his first Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, said.
"It's short and sharp and really critical. There's no room for errors but I learnt so much on my last trip over there, I got some amazing barrels and became way more comfortable and confident in that lineup," he said.
"I'm stoked to be representing New Zealand again and I know I can do something special over there."
Stairmand and Vette nailed their Olympics spots with strong showings at the International Surfing Association World Games in El Salvador last year.
The Olympics surfing competition will take place over four days in a nine-day swell window, from 27 July to 4 August.