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An Olympic Champion Goes in Search of a New Identity

Related Topics: Carissa Moore, Olympic Games

As she prepares to step away from surfing, Carissa Moore confronts a question that many people face when they make a change in life: Who am I if I don’t do this anymore?

Credit...Amanda Lucier for The New York Times

John Branch has written often about surfing, including from the Tokyo Olympics, where Carissa Moore won a gold medal in 2021.

  • Jan. 19, 2024Updated 6:23 a.m. ET

There is a shelf at Carissa Moore’s home in Honolulu where she keeps her journals. She has carried blank pages around the globe since she was a little girl, scribbling her thoughts and worries and goals as she became one of the best surfers in the world.