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B4 SPORTS East Oregonian Saturday, August 3, 2019 Argentina’s surfers hoping to make waves at Olympics By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press LIMA, Peru — On a Peruvian beach, Argentina’s passionate sports fans have been waving the country’s sky-blue and white fl ag this week for a group of athletes looking to make a splash at next year’s Tokyo Olympics. More known for its soc- cer players, Argentina is also home to a wave of top-class surfers who are hoping to once again challenge tradi- tional powerhouses like Aus- tralia and the United States when the sport makes its Olympic debut in 2020. Those surfers include Latin American champion Ornella Pellizzari and two- time World Surfi ng Games winners Santiago Muniz and Leandro Usuna. They are all competing this week at the Pan American Games, where they can qualify for Tokyo. And watching from the stands has been another Argentine, who helped make that Olympic dream possible. Fernando Aguerre, the 62-year-old president of the International Surfi ng Asso- ciation, was the driving force behind the sport’s inclusion at the 2020 Games. He has also been instru- mental in helping surfi ng go from being banned in Argentina in the late 1970s to becoming a popular pastime. “We have waves, they’re not big, but there are good quality waves. Argentina’s AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo Argentina’s Santiago Muniz competes in the men’s open surfi ng repechage round 2 during the Pan American Games on Pun- ta Rocas beach in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday. population grew and people got excited about surfi ng,” Aguerre told The Associated Press. “It’s really incredible because surfi ng is now part of the culture of the sea.” So much so that the beach resort city of Mar del Plata, where Aguerre, Pellizzari, Muniz and Usuna were all born, was offi cially named Argentina’s surfi ng capital by congress in 2014. “It was very special for us because it’s one of those rare occasions in which the opposition and government parties voted unanimously to approve the law,” said Aguerre, who was also the co-founder of the Reef san- dal and surfwear company. “So you could say that surf- ing unites Argentineans.” Aguerre’s passion for the sea came through his mother, and ocean swimmer. At age 12, he learned how to ride waves with his brother San- tiago in Mar del Plata, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Buenos Aires on the Atlantic coastline. “We discovered that peo- ple were standing on waves, which for us was a complete ‘wow!’” he said. “We were able to eventually buy our fi rst boards. And that was it. ... It was a love affair that never ended.” As in other places around the world, surfi ng has at times gone against the cur- rent. But in Argentina, the brutal military dictatorship even banned surfi ng in 1978. Aguerre challenged that ban when he founded the Argen- tine Surfi ng Association and it was lifted in 1979, four years before Argentina’s return to democracy. When he moved to Cal- ifornia in the mid-1980’s he co-founded Reef with his brother and fi rst surfi ng part- ner. He later sold the stake to focus on the ISA. Surfi ng has turned into multibillion-dollar sport with millions of faithful world- wide. Argentines caught on to the wave-riding fever thanks to easier access to inexpensive boards and inspired by the victories of its surfers. Muniz fi rst won the ISA championships in 2011 and again last year. Leandro Usuna, also from Mar del Plata, won gold twice, in 2014 and 2016. “So here, we have two gentlemen within the last decade who won four world championships, representing Argentina,” Aguerre said. “That peaked a lot of interest, because let’s face it: every- body likes a world cham- pion, especially if it comes from your country, and surf- ing wasn’t really a traditional sport in Argentina. Many probably expected an Aus- tralian or an American, the leading traditional surfi ng nations to win, and it’s an Argentinean.” Argentine fans also waved the national fl ag when Muniz won the gold last year at Japan’s Pacifi c Long Beach just about 70 miles (120 kilometers) from where surfi ng will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo. On a recent break from catching waves, he said he was stoked about a sport that in Argen- tina is now synonymous with his hometown and that continues to swell. “Surfi ng is growing more and more. And it’s amazing,” Muniz told the AP. “It’s good for our country. It’s good for our city of Mar del Plata that this is happening so it con- tinues to grow. And I’m just happy to be a part of this.” Brazil wins fi rst Pan Am Games paddleboard gold on last wave By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press LIMA, Peru — Brazil’s Lena Guimaraes risked it all on the last wave and it paid off when she won gold in paddleboard on Friday at the Pan American Games, where surfi ng is making its debut as a sport. The victory was a huge feat for the Brazilian, who beat International Surfi ng Association world cham- pion Candice Appleby of the United States. Puerto Rico’s Mariecarmen Rivera took silver. Appleby dominated most of the 5-kilometer (3-mile) distance race that zig-zagged through the main surf break at Punta Rocas beach. But she lost the heavy break shore fi n- ish when she was tumbled by a steep inside wave. “I had a great race. I led from the start and almost to the fi nish but I got caught by one of those sets inside the shore break and there wasn’t much I could do about it. I’d say I got a gold medal beating, that’s for sure,” Appleby said. “But I’m grateful to take this medal for my country. Obviously, I came for the gold, but I’m going home with a smile.” Guimaraes also beamed, her face covered in sand. “The fi nal was really tough. It was against Can- dice who was the favorite one because she’s not only a great rower but a great surfer,” she said. In the fi nal distance, Guimaraes said she saw a shortcut, and out of the cor- ner of her eye she saw that Candice and Mariecarmen took a “more conservative” route to avoid the fall. “I said to myself: ‘I’m going to take it. ... It’s all or nothing,” she said. The crowd gasped when a huge wave broke in the end. But Guimaraes made it to the shore and crossed the sandy fi nish line. “I didn’t even know what position I came in,” she said. “I thought Can- dice had arrived and I was already so happy with the silver. Then I started run- ning. My legs hurt so much. It seemed like trekking a mountain. Then I saw that she was behind. So the boldness worked today.” In the men’s race, Amer- ican Connor Baxter won the gold medal, paddling through the main surf break three times to end in pounding shore break. “Beyond stoked to take the gold medal and bring it back home to my friends and family,” said the Hawaii-born Baxter, who is also an ISA world gold medalist. EASTERN OREGON marketplace Place classified ads online at www.easternoregonmarketplace.com or call 1-800-962-2819 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hours, leave a voicemail and we’ll confirm your ad the next business day. Email us at classifieds@ eastoregonian.com or fax: 541-278-2680 East Oregonian Deadline is 3 p.m. the day before publication 211 S.E. Byers Ave. 333 E. Main St. We accept: Pendleton, OR 97801 Hermiston, OR 97838 See www.easternoregonmarketplace.com for classified ads from all over Eastern Oregon EAST OREGONIAN • HERMISTON HERALD • BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE • WALLOWA COUNTY CHIEFTAIN 104 Special Notices PLEASE CHECK YOUR AD ON THE FIRST DAY OF PUBLICATION. While we are happy to make any necessary corrections, we can not be responsible for errors appearing for mul- tiple days. Thank you! HOMES SELL FAST IN CLASSIFIEDS! 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