Costa Rica
Ranked In Top 5 at ISA World Surfing Games
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica -- Beginning the
day as the #3 country behind #1 Australia
and #2 United States at the Billabong
International Surfing Association (ISA)
World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009, the
Costa Rica National Surf Team offered up its
two Longboard surfers to compete against the
other countries here at Playa Hermosa’s
Terrazas del Pacífico.
In waves 3 to 5 foot, and in rain that often
times went from light sprinkles to
downpours, Antony Flores and Diego Narango,
both of Jaco, surfed what seemed like
parallel projectories - a winning Round 1
Qualifier, a losing Round 2 Qualifier -
until the repercharge rounds, when Flores
won 1st place in Round 2, and Naranjo lost
his heat with a 3rd place finish.
It was an exciting morning when Flores hit
the water at Podium 2. On his first wave he
demonstrated his unique style walking toes
to the nose, hands behind his back for an
8.5. Later on a nice cutback then layback
earned a 4.10 and he swept away the heat for
1st Place.
Shortly after, he still surfed with style,
but couldn’t put together enough waves to
climb higher than 3rd place in the Round 2
main event. Fortunately, in the repercharge,
he came back strong with a combined total of
11.50 and another 1st place win.
“It was up and down,” Flores said afterward
of his see-saw day. “The first heat I was
happy, but then in the second I lost. I went
to get something to eat and drink water and
get prepared. I was prepared and then I won.
I was happy. Now, my plan is to keep
advancing and make more points for the
team.”
Senior Costa Rica National Surf Team member
Diego Naranjo finally got a chance to surf
this morning when he, too, had his premier
heat at these Billabong ISA World Surfing
Games Costa Rica 2009. His morning heat took
place at Podium 1, and while Naranjo surfs
the log more like a shortboard, he showed a
little noseriding style, too. Although he
stayed at 1st place for most of the heat,
Argentina’s Martin Perez earned a last
minute high score that pushed Naranjo down
to 2nd place at the end.
In Round 2 of the main event of Longboard,
Naranjo placed 3rd, and went to repercharge.
After a brief break in the World Surfing
Games due to a heavy rainstorm, Diego had
all the best intentions. These were soon
dashed as he was cited with an interference
against Tamil Martino of Peru. He never
recovered his momentum from there and
ultimately came in 3rd place and is out of
the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa
Rica 2009. Naranjo is now ranked #25 for
Longboard.
According to Carlos Enrique Brenes,
Communications Director for the Federacion
de Surf de Costa Rica, there is a sense of
pride for the showing that Costa Rica made
in Longboard today. “Assuming the quality of
Longboard that is here and that our
strenghth is in the Open, we did pretty
good. Antony Flores is still alive and that
shows that there is some upcoming talent in
Costa Rica.”
Tomorrow, Thursday, is going to be a huge
day of surfing for Costa Rica. First of all,
it is expected that next Round of the main
event of the Open will be run and in it will
be the heat which will feature both Gilbert
Brown (Puerto Viejo) and Jason Torres (Jaco).
And, of course, everyone is waiting to see
how far Carlos Muñoz will go in the
repercharge after his spectacular showing
yesterday.
In total, when the rankings shake out
tonight, it is expected that with half the
Costa Rica National Surf Team still alive in
the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games after
the competition is half way finished, that
they will still be in the Top 5 of the
rankings.
To watch all the action of the Billabong ISA
World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009, please
go to surfingcr.net
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
