Surfer Carissa Moore had more than her own safety to consider at the Paris Olympics.
She was two months pregnant when competing, according to her father, Chris.
“There were a few days they didn’t (surf) that had scary/unruly conditions,’’ he told USA TODAY Sports by text message. Asked whether his daughter would have considered not competing in those conditions, Chris Moore said, “I’m not sure. Didn’t have to cross that bridge. But it was stressful.”
Carissa Moore, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, lost in the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics.
Moore, 31, learned she was pregnant about five weeks before the Olympics started July 26 while training in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, site of the competition during the Paris Games, according to her father. He said doctors cleared her to compete.
Carissa Moore did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY Sports request for comment made by text message through the World Surf League (WSL).
In an interview with Surfer magazine recently, Moore said, in part: “… so many things that are happening to your body in the first trimester, just like being sick and tired and emotional like just wanting to cry at random moments. But I knew all that going in and I was just like, hey, I gotta just put my head down and get it done.”
She added: “It helped me in that moment (of losing) to see the bigger picture. … Look at this beautiful next thing that I get to focus my energy on.’’
Of safety concerns during the Olympics, Chris Moore added, “You know the (surf) board turns and pushes directly into your stomach, the probability was very small, I think. Surfing a dangerous wave like Teahupo’o, you know, there’s definitely something where she’s taking everything into consideration.’’
After the Olympics, Moore had said repeatedly she was moving onto the next stage of her career. She said having a child is something she and her husband, Luke, had discussed and wanted.
On Aug. 22, Moore posted photos of herself with a “bump’’ and announced the pregnancy.
The baby is due in February, according to Moore, who on Instagram wrote, “Excited to catch the best wave of our lives… the swell arrives February 2025.”
Her father said they did not announce the news until tests showed the baby was healthy.
Moore, a five-time world champion, left the WSL as a full-time competitor before the 2023 season and had said she plans to transition into the next stage of her life after the Olympics.
Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Surfer Carissa Moore competed at Olympics while pregnant
