Surfer Caroline Marks had a "terrifying" time before winning gold

Olympic gold medal.

Title in the final of the World Surf League.

A chance to defend this title on Friday.

When surfer Caroline Marks reflects on her successes, the low point of her career also comes into conversation.

At the age of 19, Marks abruptly left the WSL Tour at the start of the 2022 season, citing mental and physical problems as the reason for her departure.

“Surfing is all I know,” says Marks, now 22. “And then all of that was suddenly taken away from me for a second, and of course that was really scary.”

Her absence lasted about six months. And as she heads into the WSL final in San Clemente, California, as the No. 2 seed, Marks said: “Obviously, that time in my life will always be a part of me, and I'm not ashamed of it. And I know everyone goes through things, and some of my favorite athletes in the world have gone through similar things and feelings, and I'm not ashamed of it.”

“I believe it was meant to happen and in some ways I'm grateful that it did happen because it really shaped me and made me the person and athlete I am today and I feel like it made me a lot stronger.”

Caroline Marks' return to competition

During her absence from the tour, Marks recalled, she was not alone.

“Some athletes that I looked up to came up to me and really supported me and just checked on me,” she said. “And that was really, really nice of them.”

Marks said she wanted to emulate athlete Simone Biles – and not just because of the gymnast’s amazing achievements.

Biles pulled out of several competitions at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics to prioritize her mental and physical health. Three years later, she won three golds and one silver at the Paris Olympics.

Luke Egan, Marks' coach, said he had more modest expectations when Marks called him towards the end of the 2022 season and asked for help with her return to the tour.

Marks finished third in her first event after returning, then went on to finish fifth three times in a row, setting her up for a stellar season in 2023.

“I couldn't believe it,” Egan told USA TODAY Sports. “I thought we were a year behind where we are now.”

Marks said: “Going from the lowest point in my life to the highest point in my life was definitely a pretty crazy feeling. But I didn't try to expect too much from myself. I just really wanted to focus on my craft and improve in the areas that I needed to improve in and make sure my mind and body were healthy. And things happened really quickly.”

The “final five” at the WSL Finals also include No. 1 seed Caitlin Simmers, an 18-year-old American prodigy, No. 3 seed Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica, No. 4 seed Molly Picklum of Australia and No. 5 seed Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil, who won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

The winner will receive $200,000, while second place will receive $100,000, third place will receive $75,000, fourth place will receive $60,000, and fifth place will receive $40,000.

Surfer Caroline Marks had a “terrifying” time before winning gold

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