With four surfers still alive for Finals Day, Peru canât be caught. Clutch shortboard performances put the red-and-white on the highest step of the podium
Monterrico, Guatemala â July 12, 2025 â What a day at El Rosario: double-overhead tubes, gold medals on the line, and teams roaring themselves hoarse from the beach. When the spray settled, Peru was confirmed as the new Pan-American surf champion.
The key? Vania Torresâs repeat gold in womenâs SUP Surf and SebastiĂĄn GĂłmezâs silver in the menâs finalâPeruâs two biggest scores of the event so far. Add Itzel Delgadoâs SUP Race bronze and Cristopher Bayonaâs fourth place in menâs bodyboard, and the title math became undeniable.
Torres Shows True Grit
Chasing back-to-back SUP Surf crowns after winning at home in 2024, Torres faced a raging ocean: double-overhead walls and brutal currents. She banked an opener, then every finalist was steamrolled by the biggest set of the dayâsnapping Torresâs leash and costing precious minutes. Back on the sand, she grabbed a spare, took a breath, and paddled straight out for the score she needed: a left that let her hammer two solid turns. Judges confirmed the win, capping a sweep of every heat she surfed.
Puerto Ricoâs Torres Takes Menâs SUP Surf
In menâs SUP Surf, Puerto Ricoâs Maximiliano Torres capped a dominant run with gold, dropping a 5.50 starter and a 7.70 closer. Peruâs GĂłmez kept things interesting with a 6.33 but couldnât find the backup, settling for silver. Argentinaâs Franco Faccin grabbed bronze after six busy waves; fellow Boricua Dave de Armas claimed copper.
Shortboard Finals Set
South America will keep the menâs shortboard crown. Ecuador placed Ălex SuĂĄrez and Bruce Burgos into the final, with Chileâs Reimundo Berry and Peruâs Lucas PĂ©rez del Solar completing the lineup.
Women tackled Rounds 2 and 3 in building surf. Semifinal 1: Ecuadorâs GĂ©nesis Borja, Mexicoâs Maya Mateja, Peruâs Daniella Rosas, and Uruguayâs Marcela Machado. Semifinal 2: Ecuadorâs Dominic Barona, Costa Ricaâs Rachel AgĂŒero (through despite an interference), and Peruâs Catalina Zariquiei and SofĂa Artieda.
Finals Day Live
Shortboardâalways the fan favoriteâcrowns its champs tomorrow. Ecuador has two men in the final and two women in the semis; Peru counters with one man and three women. Thanks to todayâs SUP Surf, bodyboard, and SUP Race haul, Peru is already unreachable in the team race.
Action starts at 7 a.m. with junior heats, followed by womenâs shortboard semis at 8 a.m. Watch it all live at www.pasasurf.org.
Top single-wave score: Ignacio Pignataro (URU) â Menâs Longboard â 7.33
Top heat total: Julian Schweizer (URU) â Menâs Longboard â 12.43
About the Event
The PASA Games Guatemala 2025 Surf Festival is produced by ASOSURF, the ConfederaciĂłn Deportiva AutĂłnoma de Guatemala, and the Guatemalan Olympic Committee, with key support from the Municipality of Taxisco (Santa Rosa), Naturalmente Santa Rosa, Hoteles Dos Mundos, Hotel PazĂfico, Johnnyâs Place, El Faro Hotel, Hotel El DelfĂn, Dulce y Salado Hotel, Mangoya Jungle, Hidravida, Maya Jade, Hawaiian Paradise, Hotel San Gregorio, Maya Internacional Transporte TurĂstico, Utz Tzava Beach Hotel, Marbella Ecolodge, Hotel Honolulu, and One Pixel.
About PASA â Pan American Surf Association
Founded in 1992, the Pan American Surf Association (PASA) governs and promotes surfing throughout the Americas. Affiliated with the International Surfing Association (ISA) and recognized by Panam Sports, PASA runs Pan Am Games qualifiers, drives surfingâs Olympic pathway, and supports national federations while inspiring the next generation across Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America.