US surfer Griffin Colapinto using poor performance in Tahiti as learning experience ahead of Olympics

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Griffin Colapinto's thoughts and emotions are much like the waves he surfs: up and down, sometimes flowing with him while others try crashing into his mental state. 

But the California native couldn't be feeling any better mentally as he looks ahead to his first-ever Olympic Games, where he will be one of four Team USA surfers heading to Tahiti to compete against the best in the world. 

"I’m feeling really good," Colapinto told Fox News Digital. "I feel that this year, the past few years, every year there’s been a lot of challenges that’s come at me, and I feel I’ve done my absolute best to get through them. In the moment, they were really hard."

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Griffin Colapinto of the United States is shown prior to surfing in the semifinals of the VIVO Rio Pro on June 28, 2024, at Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Thiago Diz/World Surf League via Getty Images)

Pressure is in the job description of a professional athlete, no matter the area of expertise. 

For Colapinto, dealing with that pressure mentally can be a challenge, but there are other times when he says he can enter the water. 

"Sometimes, I get out there, and it’s like, boom, flow state right away," he explained. "Or I’ll be challenged with a lot of different thoughts coming at me. It’s basically just being able to be aware of that, and use it to become more present."

Heading into the Olympics, Colapinto knows that he needs to keep his mental state focused as much as possible. And that "flow state" being found quickly in the water can lead to choosing the right waves to ride in Tahiti, where the Olympic surfing competition will take