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Caroline Marks, U.S. prodigy, has reached surfing's peak — is Olympic gold next?

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Caroline Marks, U.S. prodigy, has reached surfing's peak — is Olympic gold next?

Follow our Olympics coverage in the lead-up to the Paris Games.


Peace.

That’s what Caroline Marks, the 22-year-old surfing sensation, feels on the waves.

No phone, no distractions. Just a deep connection between human and Mother Nature. Board and ocean.

Marks describes it as “painting a picture.”

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“When you’re on the wave, you’re very free,” Marks said. “It’s an open canvas. There’s never the same wave, and it’s always exciting. It’s a sport you can never really master.”

This love affair with surfing guided Marks to the heights of the sport. Multiple national championships. The youngest surfer to qualify for the women’s championship tour. The youngest woman to compete at a World Surf League (WSL) event. The crowning achievement: WSL Women’s World Tour champion at 21.

Marks is on the U.S. Olympic surfing team for the 2024 Paris Games. Beginning July 27, she will surf far from the Eiffel Tower on the historic waves of Teahupo’o in Tahiti. In her second Olympic Games, Marks has her sights set on the podium after just falling short in Tokyo, losing in the bronze-medal match.


Growing up in Melbourne Beach, Fla., the third of six children, Marks wanted to be like her brothers. Her introduction to sports was horseback riding and barrel racing. But if she wanted to impress her brothers, Marks needed to pursue a more adventurous sport.

Enter surfing. Her oldest brother, Luke, competed in junior and pro events. Marks got into the water at 7 years old. Across from where Marks lived in Melbourne Beach was a surf break where she first practiced surfing.

It wasn’t just a sport in which she could beat her brothers. Surfing became a viable career.

The Marks family moved to San Clemente, Calif., a hotspot for surfing. The move to the Golden Coast intertwined with Marks’ ascendence. At 11, Marks won the under-12 Surfing America Prime, the top amateur surf competition. By 15, Marks became the youngest to qualify for the WSL’s Championship Tour. Titles followed in 2019, where Marks captured two wins and finished the year second.

With meteoric success came massive expectations. There was no doubt Marks was a rising star in surfing. The question became, when was she going to win the top events? For surfers, that’s a world championship and the Olympics.

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In December 2019, Marks finished second on the WSL championship tour to Carissa Moore, a five-time world champion and the inaugural Olympic gold medalist. This earned Marks a spot on the inaugural U.S. Olympic surfing team in Tokyo.

The first two rounds of the surfing competition are heats. The third round begins the head-to-head knockout competition with the round of 16. Then quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Marks advanced to the semifinals before losing to South African surfer Bianca Buitendag. In the bronze-medal matchup, Marks fell to Japan’s Amuro Tsuzuki, losing by 2.54 points.

“That obviously sucked,” Marks said. “I was really bummed.”


Caroline Marks celebrates her 2023 WSL Finals title. Just 22 years old, the American star heads to the Olympic Games as a gold-medal contender. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Marks was oblivious to the pressure when she rose through the surfing ranks. Winning events so young, it was all happening so fast. She was never short on self-belief, but crossing that threshold to become a world champion isn’t easy.

In 2022, Marks missed half the surfing season to, she says, “deal with recurring medical and health issues.” She failed to qualify for the WSL finals.

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Joy always accompanied Marks when she was surfing. But she admits now that she put too much pressure on herself, basing happiness on results.

“You live, breathe, eat surfing, it’s your priority over everything,” Marks said. “That’s how it should be if you want to win and accomplish things. You put in so much preparation, you don’t get the result you want and you can be really down on yourself.”

Marks leaned on her support system. Family and friends. She lived by the adage that “if you’re not winning, you’re learning.” The disappointment from Tokyo turned to gratitude. Grateful to be on the Olympic team, surfing alongside a role model in Moore and meeting athletes in the Olympic Village like American long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall.

It propelled Marks to return to surfing as a more resilient athlete.

In her return to competition in June 2023, Marks captured the El Salvador Surf City Pro, a WSL event. She followed it up with a victory at the Tahiti Pro, on the same circuit as Paris 2024. It culminated last September at the Rip Curl WSL Finals in Lower Trestles, Calif., her home state.

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Marks started the competition as the third seed. She defeated fourth-ranked Caitlin Simmers and second-ranked dual-world champion Tyler Wright en route to the final, setting up a rematch against Moore.

Marks had a large contingent of supporters along the beach. Friends from California, family from Florida, trainers and coaches. All to witness a potential coronation.

Marks didn’t disappoint. On the first heat, she showcased her backhand, carving skills (the 180-degree turn at the top of the wave) with force. The bottom turn, top turn highlighted Marks’ control of the wave. She scored an 8.67 (out of 10), forcing Moore to respond. Marks’ first heat total was 17.10 to Moore’s 14.97.

In the second heat, Marks’ maneuvers with the board earned her a 7.00 score. She followed it up with a 7.60, sealing the world title.

As her fans lifted Marks on the beach in celebration, she felt a “monkey was lifted of her back.” But the true joy was celebrating with the people who got her to this crowning achievement.

“All these people have made a sacrifice for me to get me to where I need to be to accomplish my goal, and so I feel like it was just the best way to pay them back,” Marks said.

It’s two weeks until the Olympics, and Marks is putting the finishing touches on preparation. She arrives in Tahiti 10 days before the Olympic surfing competition begins. A chance to get acclimated to the Tahiti waves, focus on rest and recovery while cherishing the time spent with her parents, two younger siblings and other family members.

Marks won’t be with her U.S. compatriots during the opening ceremony. She’ll be on an island almost 10,000 miles away. Aiming to bring back hardware for the closing ceremony.

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Marks admits she’s a changed athlete and person from three years ago. But once she’s on the board, she’s free.

No phone. No distractions. Just a surfer trying to conquer the waves.

(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Ed Sloane, Thiago Diz / World Surf League via Getty Images)

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.

While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.

The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”

Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.

WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”

Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.

“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”

Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.

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After 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town

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After 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town

It’s time to reveal memories, laughs and crazy times from Randy Rosenbloom’s 55 years as a TV/radio broadcaster in Los Angeles. He’s hopping in a car next Sunday with his wife, saying goodbye to a North Hollywood house that’s been in his family since 1952 and driving 3,300 miles to his new home in Greenville, S.C.

“When I walk out, I’ll probably break down,” he said.

He graduated from North Hollywood High in 1969. He got his first paid job in 1971 calling Hart basketball games for NBC Cable Newhall for $10 a game. It began an adventure of a lifetime.

“I never knew if I overachieved or underachieved. I just did what I loved,” he said.

Randy Rosenbloom (left) used to work with former UCLA coach John Wooden for TV games.

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(Randy Rosenbloom)

John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian and Jim Harrick were among his expert commentators when he did play by play for college basketball games. He called volleyball at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games for NBC and rowing in 2004. He’s worked more than 100 championship high school events. He did play by play for the first and only Reebok Bowl at Angel Stadium in 1994 won by Bishop Amat over Sylmar, 35-14.

“There were about 5,000, 6,000 people there and I remember thinking nobody watched the game. We ended up with a 5.7 TV rating on Channel 13 in Los Angeles, which is higher than most Lakers games.”

He conducted interviews with NFL Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Johnny Unitas and boxing greats Robert Duran, Thomas Hearn and Sugar Ray Leonard. He’s worked with baseball greats Steve Garvey and Doug DeCinces. He called games with former USC coach Rod Dedeaux. He was in the radio booth for Bret Saberhagen’s 1982 no-hitter in the City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium. He was a nightly sportscaster for KADY in Ventura.

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Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.

Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.

(Randy Rosenbloom)

He was the voice of Fresno State football and basketball. He also did Nevada Las Vegas football and basketball games. He called bowl games and Little League games. He was a public address announcer for basketball at the 1984 Olympic Games with Michael Jordan the star and did the P.A. for Toluca Little League.

Nothing was too small or too big for him.

“I loved everything,” he said.

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He called at least 10 East L.A. Classic football games between Garfield and Roosevelt. He was there when Narbonne and San Pedro tied 21-21 in the 2008 City championship game at the Coliseum on a San Pedro touchdown with one second left.

Probably his most notable tale came when he was doing radio play-by-play at a 1998 college bowl game in Montgomery, Ala.

“I look down and a giant tarantula is crawling up my pants,” he said. “My color man took all the press notes, wadded them up and hit the tarantula like swinging a bat.”

Did Rosenbloom tell the audience what was happening?

“I stayed calm,” he said.

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Then there was the time he was in the press box at Sam Boyd Stadium and a bat flew in and attached itself to the wooden press box right next to him before flying away after he said, “UNLV wins.”

Recently, he’s been putting together high school TV packages for LA36 and calling travel ball basketball games. He’ll still keep doing a radio gambling show from his new home, but he’s cutting ties to Los Angeles to move closer to grandchildren.

“I’m retiring from Los Angeles. I’m leaving the market,” he said.

Hopefully he’ll continue via Zoom to do a weekly podcast with me for The Times.

He’s a true professional who’s versatility and work ethic made him a reliable hire from the age of 18 through his current age of 74.

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He’s a member of the City Section Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He once threw the shot put 51 feet, 7 1/2 inches, which is his claim to fame at North Hollywood High.

One time an ESPN graphic before a show spelled his name “Rosenbloom” then changed it to “Rosenblum” for postgame. It was worth a good laugh.

He always adjusts, improvises and ad-libs. He expects to enjoy his time in South Carolina, but he better watch out for tarantulas. They seem to like him.

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Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42

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Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42

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Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.

Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.

Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.

Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.

Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.

WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’

AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.

Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.

Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.

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