Jeremy Flores is the most successful European pro surfer of all time, and he has a chance to take his career even further after qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. His four Championship Tour victories include a historic win at home at the Quiksilver Pro France (2019), a pair of Pipe Masters (2010, 2017), and the Billabong Pro Teahupo’o (2015), three of the world’s most iconic waves.

He grew up on Reunion Island but moved to France as a young teen to pursue his pro surfing dream. More recently he has relocated to Tahiti with his partner Hinarani de Longeaux, a model and former Miss France runner-up. Flores joined the Championship Tour in 2007 at the age of 18, and he turned in one of the most successful freshman seasons in Tour history, finishing No. 8 in the world and winning the Rookie of the Year award.

A polarizing figure by his admission, his current public persona goes something like this: incredible tube rider, uncompromising competitor, never one to duck a question in a post-heat interview. But what's perhaps less appreciated, and certainly less likely to go viral, are some of his philanthropic deeds. He sponsored Johanne Defay to do the Tour and he's built a training center to help develop youth talent in Hossegor. He's been a quiet benefactor to other causes in the broader surfing family, and he's made a film about the shark situation in his native Reunion Island.

With a fruitful career under his belt, Flores went on parental leave during the 2018 Uluwatu CT for his arrival of his daughter, Hinahei, and closed out the season at No. 16 on the Jeep Leaderboard. His 2019 was spectacular, claiming an epic victory in front of thousands of screaming fans in Hossegor, a result that helped him secure his selection for the surfing's Olympic debut. It seems Europe’s best-ever surfer just keeps getting better.

Instagram: @floresjeremy