Costa Rica Wins 4th;
Gilbert Brown Wins
Historic Bronze Medal at
PanAm Games
Puerto Viejo, Costa
Rica's Gilbert Brown
yesterday made surf
history for his country
when he raced out of the
second chance
repercharge Finals, into
the Open Finals, and
maneuvered into 3rd
place of the
Panamericanos Surf Chile
2007 in Iquique.
With this Bronze medal,
he obtained the best
performance ever by a
Costa Rican surfer in
the Pan American Surfing
Games in the Open
division.
In front of over 1,000
people on the beach,
Brown ran through his
repercharge heats--the
first obstacle of the
morning--by taking 1st,
2nd, than 1st in those
Finals, and then
positioned himself for
the Open Finals. He was
in 2nd place in that
heat based an
illustrious performance.
Yet, in the last five
minutes, his opponent,
the Peruvian Javier
Swayne, literally
scooped in to score
enough to take 1st
place, knocking Gilbert
to 3rd, and the
Brazilian Erc De Souza
to 2nd place.
Still, the Bronze medal
was groundbreaking for
Brown and Costa Rica.
Only two years ago,
Tamarindo's Federico
Pilurzu cracked the
first ceiling when he
earned a Copper medal
with a 4th place Open
finish at the Reef
Panamericano de Surf
Peru 2006 Copa Motorola.
(Pilurzu missed this
year as he is making
more history as the
first Costa Rican at the
Association of Surfing
Professionals (ASP)
World Qualifying Series
(WQS) Reef Hawaiian Pro,
which kicks off the
Triple Crown in Ali'i
Beach Park in Haleiwa
Town on Oahu's famous
North Shore.) Jaco's
Jason Torres, claimed
Gold at Peru 2006 with
his medal in the Junior
category of that
tournament. That prize
remains the only Gold
medal the Ticos have
ever earned in the Pan
American Surfing Games.
"My best birthday gift
was to maintain my
stature until the end of
these Pan American
Games, especially when
the level was simply
incredible. In addition,
with this I collaborated
with the team to earn a
4th place position,"
said Brown, who
yesterday also turned
25.
The teams award was
thanks to the stellar
work of everyone on the
18-member team that
included Torres (Jaco),
2007 Triple Crown
Champion Luis Vindas (Jaco);
2007-08 Costa Rican
National Surf Champion
Diego Naranjo (Jaco);
2001-02 Costa Rican
National Surf Champion
Gilbert Brown (Puerto
Viejo); two-time Central
American Women's Surf
Champion Lisbeth Vindas
(Jaco); 2007-08 Costa
Rican National Women's
Surf Champion Nataly
Bernold (Tamarindo);
2007-08 Costa Rican
National Junior Surf
Champion Jairo Pérez (Jaco);
2007-08 Costa Rican
National Boys Surf
Champion Carlos Muñoz
(Playa Esterillos);
2007-08 Costa Rican
National Women's
Bodyboard Champion
Jimena Calvo (Boca
Barranca); 2007-08 2nd
Place Costa Rican
National Bodyboard
Champion Silvio Mangel (Limón
); José Calderón (Jaco);
Orlando Solís (Jaco);
and Mauricio Umaña (Jaco).
Costa Rica earned a
total of 20,267 points
with its 4th place;
Brazil was 1st with
29,992; Chile 2nd with
24,372, and Perú 3rd
with 24,072.
The women on the Tico
Team also saw a lot of
action yesterday. While
Lisbeth Vindas did not
manage to classify all
the way to the end of
the Women's division,
after placing 4th in the
repercharge Finals, she
contributed points and
veteran experience to
the other members of the
group. Meanwhile,
Bernold, the youngest
member of the pack at 14
years and only on her
third international
challenge with this
tournament, blew through
the other country's
women to Round 5 of
repercharge, was strong
and confident, if
soft-spoken on dry land.
Bodyboarder Jimena Calvo,
17, however, was a
bright new shining hope
for the Costa Rican
National Surf Team.
After years of
disappointment in this
category and in the Male
bodyboarder division,
the Ticos saw Calvo pass
all the way to the
repercharge Finals,
adding desperately
needed points to their
total. She placed 4th in
that heat, and was
cheered on very loudly
by the blue, white and
red flag-toting guys and
gals on the shore.
In 2008, the
Pan-American Games for
the Junior category will
be celebrated in Isla
Margarita, Venezuela.
Look for a Costa Rican
National Junior Surf
Team there! Meanwhile,
for further details and
information on the Costa
Rican National Surf Team
at the Panamericanos
Surf Chile 2007 in
Iquique, please go to
www.surfingcr.net |
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