Riding Teahupo’o, Brisa Hennessy, an Olympic surfer from Costa Rica, says, is “riding this wave of heaven and death.” When they discuss what it will take to win these Olympics, they speak not just of training regimens but also of the essence of the place itself. To surf Teahupo’o is to respect Teahupo’o — and to surf Teahupo’o well is to connect deeply with the land, the sea and the people around it. “It’s very, very humbling,” Carissa Moore, an American gold medalist, says. “The minute you don’t respect mother nature, it’s going to swipe you off your feet.”

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Persons: Brisa Hennessy, ”, Teahupo’o, ” Carissa Moore Locations: Costa Rica, American