Peruvians Sebastián Gómez and Vania Torres win Gold in SUP Surf at the 2024 PASA Games

Cover photos by Michael Tweddle @nat.wild.photo

Photo gallery of the day click here

After six days of exciting competitions, today, Thursday, October 10, it was time to crown the champions of the Women’s and Men’s SUP Surf categories of the XVII PASA Pan American Surfing Games (PASG), taking place at the High Performance Surf Center in Punta Rocas, Lima, Peru.

The waves were irregular throughout the day, which increased the degree of difficulty for all the athletes in competition. Even so, they all showed why they are the best in their respective countries and are competing for medals as part of their national teams.

The SUP Surf champions of these 2024 PASA Games are Sebastián Gómez from Peru in men’s and Vania Torres, also from Peru, in women’s. For Gomez this is his first Pan American PASA gold, for Torres it is her second after being a gold medalist in the 2017 edition of the PASG.

Men’s SUP Surf medalists.

Gomez took the gold by scoring a total of 16.33 points in the grand final, beating the Brazilians Luiz Diniz (4-time ISA world champion) and Wellington Reis, who scored 13.23 and 10.83 points, respectively. In fourth place and with the copper medal was Tamil Martino from Peru (another multiple Pan American and World medalist) with a total score of 7.93.

Interview by Fernando Cataldo/Latinwave.cl

For Torres it is not her first time in a Pan American final and he applied all his experience to take the PASA gold for the second time in her career. With a total score of 12.16, the Peruvian also defeated two Brazilians in the grand final, Aline Adisaka with 8.47 points and Gabi Sztamfater with 5.63. In fourth place was the PASA champion in 2022 and 2023, Lucía Cosoleto from Argentina.

Interview by Fernando Cataldo/Latinwave.cl

Other disciplines in competition during this day were the Women’s Shortboard and Men’s Longboard.

Women’s SUP Surf medalists.

The women had two intense rounds of competition where the standout of the day was Chelsea Tuach from Barbados who achieved an impressive total score of 17.33 points in Round 2, but in her Round 3 Heat she fell short and fell to the repechage rounds where she still has a chance to reach Gold.

In Men’s Longboard, Round 2 was competed, where the best of the day was multiple-time Pan American champion Benoit Clemente from Peru, who achieved a total score of 16.34 points against 9.10 from Agustin Cedeño from Panama and 8.36 from Anthony Flores from Costa Rica.

The 17th edition of the PASA Surf Games will be held from October 4 to 13 at the High Performance Surf Center in Punta Rocas, Lima, Peru, sponsored by Equans, Marca Perú, Floril, Generade and 360 Energy Drink, and with the support of the Peruvian Sports Institute, the Peruvian National Surfing Federation, Proyecto Legado and the Municipality of Punta Negra.

Text: Jose Duarte