Surfer Caroline Marks reflects on ‘scary’ time, ready for WSL Finals

Olympic gold medal.

World Surf League Final Title.

Friday is a chance to defend that title.

When surfer Caroline Marks looks back on her success, the conversation also turns to the low point of her career.

At age 19, Marks abruptly left the WSL Tour early in the 2022 season. She cited mental health and physical issues as the reason for her departure.

“Surfing is all I’ve ever known,” says Marks, now 22. “And then all of a sudden it was taken away and that was obviously very scary.”

Her absence lasted about six months. And as she heads into the WSL finals 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 think it was meant to happen and in a way I’m grateful for it because it really shaped me into the person I am today and the athlete I am. I feel like it made me a lot stronger.”

Caroline Marks returns to competition

Marks remembers that during her absence from the tour, she was not alone.

“I had a couple of athletes that I looked up to come up to me and be really supportive and just ask how I was doing,” she said. “And that was really, really nice of them.”

Athlete Marks said she aspired to be like Simone Biles — and not just because of the gymnast’s astonishing success.

Biles withdrew from several events 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.

Marks’ coach Luke Egan said he had more modest expectations when Marks called him toward the end of the 2022 season asking for his help in her return to the tour.

In Marks’ first event back, she placed third, followed by three consecutive fifth-place finishes, setting her up for a banner 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: “To go from the lowest point of my life to the highest point of my life was definitely a pretty crazy feeling. But I tried not to expect too much from myself. I just wanted to really focus on my craft and really improve in the areas that I needed to improve in and make sure my mind was healthy and my body was healthy. And things happened really quickly.”

The WSL finals also include top-seeded Caitlin Simmers, an 18-year-old American phenom; third-seeded Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica; fourth-seeded Molly Picklum of Australia; and fifth-seeded Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil, who won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

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

The WSL Finals is a single-elimination format of head-to-head heats. The number 4 seed surfs against the number 5 seed. The winner goes on to surf against the number 3 seed. The winner goes on to surf against the number 2 seed. And that winner goes on to surf against the number 1 seed. The winner is determined in the final round by the best-of-three heats.

Last year, Marks was the No. 3 seed when she won. She said she feels good about being the No. 2 seed this year.

“Number one is obviously a great position,” she said. “You come in very fresh, but it can also be very nerve-wracking when you’re sitting there all day watching someone build momentum. … We’ll see what happens.”

Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11