Mexico wins bronze medal at the World games Sup and the ISA in Peru 2013 Paddleboard

The “bronze race” was reborn in the spirit of Mexican athletes who competed in Playa Miraflores in Lima, Peru for the second world paddleboard games, in which a total of 23 countries from the five continents came to compete on March 2^nd – 24^th, 2013.

The third place bronze medal earned by the Mexican team was not gained by chance or by luck, but by the physical and mental preparation of the athletes who, under the command of Alfredo Salafranca, went through a training program that began in August of last year and lasted until a week before the championship. Their rigorous training and strong teamwork resulted in this historic bronze medal-win, placing them just under Australia and South Africa.

Paddleboarding has really started to take off around the world and this year marks the second world championship put on by the International Surfing Association (ISA). Like last year’s competition, this year’s event was also held in Peru.

The Mexican SUP team was primarily composed of athletes from the state of Nayarit, which favored the kind of work needed for the competition. The concentration was there, and everyone gave their best; visualizing, dreaming big and all with the same objective: to be amongst the top four places competing for first place.

The objective was met and the bronze medal was well earned by everyone’s effort, giving Mexico the recognition and respect from the entire international SUP community. Mexico gave proof of its ability, hard work, discipline and the ability of its athletes. It is with great pride that we proclaim Mexico as the third-ranked country in the world for this sport and, to give honor where honor is due, a big thank you to the 2013 Mexican SUP Selection: Fernando, Risa, Karen, Martha, Hector, Javier, Diego, Guillermo, Antonio, Alfredo, Veronica, Jose Luis Caselin, Ryan Helm and Horacio Garcia; as well as the sponsors and the Mexican Federation of Surfing (the FMS, for its initials in Spanish).

Fernando Stalla was dubbed the ‘man of the hour’ by winning the bronze medal in the Long Distance SUP Men’s Race, facing difficult conditions, a dense fog that covered Playa Miraflores during the competition and just mere seconds separating him from the gold medal.

Ranking final: