Winning six out of the nine total categories, Costa Rica won its 10th consecutive Central American surf championship on Sunday. Held at the beaches of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, the Costa Rica surf team dominated in performance as six Tico riders earned first place.
Costa Rica’s Leilani McGongale was crowned the Central America women’s surf champion and Jacó’s Jason Torres and men’s title.
The four other Costa Rican surfers who won their categories were Paola Duarte (girl’s under-18), Óscar Urbina (boy’s under-16), Rolando Herrera (men’s stand-up paddling), and Edith García (women’s stand-up paddling).
Costa Rica, which won the International Surfing Association’s world championship in June, is now 10-0 as a team at the Central American Games.
Twelve-time women’s national champion Lisbeth Vindas came in second place in the women’s category behind fellow world championship team member McGonagle, the decorated 16-year-old star who already ranks among the top women’s qualifiers in international surfing.
The country’s top two ranked surfers – Carlos “Cali” Muñoz and Noe Mar McGonagle – did not compete in the regional tournament as they finished up their seasons on the World Surf League circuit at the Vans World Cup. Torres is expected to join them in the qualifying series next season, after an impressive 2015 campaign that also included a national title.