Caroline Marks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Caroline Marks
Personal information
Born	(2002-02-14) February 14, 2002 (age 23) Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Residence	San Clemente, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight	127 lb (58 kg)
Surfing career
Best year	1st: 2023 - WSL World Champion
Sponsors	Red Bull, Oakley, Roxy
Major achievements	2023 World Surf League Champion WSL Championship Tour event wins: 7
Surfing specifications
Stance	Goofy
Medal record Women's surfing Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 2024 Paris Shortboard World Games Silver 2019 Miyazaki Team

Caroline Marks (born February 14, 2002) is an amazing American professional surfer. She is the 2023 World Surf League Women's World Tour Champion. This means she was the best female surfer in the world in 2023! She also won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Caroline has won many national championships. She was the youngest woman ever to compete in a World Surf League event. She was also the youngest surfer to join the women's Championship Tour.

Caroline competed against the top 16 surfers in the World Surf League. In 2018, she finished 7th in the world. This earned her the "Rookie of the Year" award. She lives in San Clemente, California.

In 2019, Caroline was one of two women chosen for the first United States surfing team. They competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women's shortboard event.

Caroline's Early Life

Caroline's mom and grandma grew up in Greece. Her mom later moved to the United States. Caroline was born in Florida. She is the third of six children. Her childhood home had a big backyard. It even had a motorbike track and a halfpipe! A surf break was right across the street.

Caroline loved sports from a young age. She first enjoyed barrel racing. She started surfing in competitions when she was 8 years old. Caroline and her siblings always supported each other. Her older brother, Zach, created a social media site for kids called Grom Social. Caroline helped design images and characters for it. She still posts updates about her adventures there. Her family is always at her competitions. They cheer her on and give her tips. Caroline says her success comes from trying to impress her brothers when she was little.

Caroline's Surfing Career

Starting Strong in 2018

In 2018, Caroline's first year on the tour, she finished third three times. She was named "Rookie of the Year." She ended the season ranked seventh in the world.

Big Wins in 2019

In April 2019, Caroline won her first World Surf League event title. She beat seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore. Then she defeated three-time world champion Carissa Moore in the finals. This made her the world's top-ranked female surfer at the start of the 2019 season.

Caroline was the first surfer to get Team USA’s "Best of April Award." This award celebrates amazing Olympic athletes. Chris Stone, the USA Surfing head coach, said Caroline was always going to be a world champion. He was excited to see what she would do next.

2019 World Championship Tour

In December 2019, Caroline finished second on the WSL Championship tour. Carissa Moore won that year. By finishing second, Caroline earned a spot on the team for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Olympics and Challenges

2020 Summer Olympics (Held in 2021)

Caroline was the youngest surfer to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The Olympics were postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first round of the shortboard competition, Caroline scored 13.40 points. She won her heat and moved straight to round three. In round three, she won against Mahina Maeda with a score of 15.33. This was the highest score of any surfer, male or female, in that round!

Caroline continued to the quarterfinals. She won her heat against Brisa Hennessy. This meant she made it to the semifinals. She didn't make it to the final gold medal heat. Instead, she competed for the bronze medal. Amuro Tsuzuki won the bronze. Caroline finished fourth overall, which is still a fantastic achievement!

Taking a Break in 2022

In February 2022, Caroline took some time off from surfing. She needed to deal with some health issues. She missed half the season that year.

Olympic Gold in 2024

Caroline won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics! The surfing event was held in Teahupo'o Reef Pass, Tahiti. She brought home the gold for Team USA.

Caroline's Career Victories

WSL Finals Wins
Year	Event	Venue	Country
2023	Rip Curl WSL Finals	Lower Trestles, California	United States

World Championship Tour (WCT) Wins
Year	Event	Venue	Country
2024	Surf City El Salvador Pro	Punta Roca, La Libertad	El Salvador
2023	SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro	Teahupo'o, Tahiti	French Polynesia
2023	Surf City El Salvador Pro	Punta Roca, La Libertad	El Salvador
2021	Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic presented by Corona	Narrabeen, New South Wales	Australia
2019	MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal	Supertubos, Peniche	Portugal
2019	Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast	Gold Coast, Queensland	Australia
World Qualifying Series (WQS) Wins
Year	Event	Venue	Country
2018	Ron Jon Florida Pro	Sebastian Inlet, Florida	United States
2018	Los Cabos Open of Surf	Zippers, San Jose del Cabo	Mexico
2019	Florida Pro	Sebastian Inlet, Florida	United States

Olympics
Year	Event	Venue	Country
2024	Olympic Surfing Competition	Teahupo'o, Tahiti	France

Junior and Open Event Wins

Caroline has won many events for younger surfers and in open competitions:

• 2015 US Open Jr. Champion
• 2016 ISA Girls World Champion (Under 16)
• 2016 US Open Jr. Champion
• 2015 Volcom World VQS Champion
• 2x Open Women's NSSA Champion (won twice)
• 6x Surfing America Champion (won six times)
• 2x Open Girls NSSA Champion (won twice)

Caroline's Personal Life

Caroline has a YouTube channel! She started it on February 23, 2021. She uploads videos about her surfing adventures. Her very first video showed her surfing with fellow pro surfer Lakey Peterson.