ICHINOMIYA, Japan (AP) After a series of underdogs stole the show at the beginning of surfing s historic Olympic debut, two of the sports most seasoned superstars took home the gold medals.

Carissa Moore of the United States and Italo Ferreira of Brazil became the first Olympic surfing champions on Tuesday, more than a century after the sport first tried to get on the program.

The 28-year-old Moore, the darling child prodigy who could beat the boys and grew up to be the youngest world champion surfer, preserved after struggling in the early heats.

Its been a crazy couple of days, Moore said. A little bit of a rollercoaster of emotions just trying to figure out the break, find my rhythm, learning how to trust myself without my family here.