“It reaffirms that we are a world power”: how two Olympic places were achieved and what it means to run in Tehuapo’o

Likewise, Alonso Correa finished in fifth place in the men’s contest and with the tickets to the mythical Teahupo’o wave. Both Peruvians reached round 6 of the main event, where they fell to the final repechage. There they could not get into the top two of the heat that gave them a pass to the medal final. Despite that, his work was already done.

Both results, combined with what the entire team (Lucca Mesinas, Miguel Tudela, Daniella Rosas and Arena Rodríguez) did, led Peru to fifth place in the World Cup. The title won last year could not be defended, but Peru was always in the fight. Since 2010 we have always been in the top ten as teams and individually since 2018 a Peruvian has been in the top 5.

Sol and Alonso will experience their first Games, since Lucca, Miguel, Daniella and Sofía Mulanovich attended Tokyo, which shows the variety of talent that exists and the work of the technical team formed by Gabriel Aramburú, Carlos Mario Zapata, Richard Navarrete and Aarón Emperor.

That’s why the celebration was at home with a good meal and the joy of knowing that the objective was achieved. According to what they tell us, the boys are already thinking about what the preparation for the Games will be like.

—Praise—

In the final awards ceremony –Gabriel Medina and Sally Fitzgibbons were crowned individual champions, and Brazil as team champions–, the quotas were also officially awarded and there, on the podium, were the Peruvians. First, Lucca Mesinas with the ticket obtained in Santiago 2023 and then Alonso and Sol, after the performance in Puerto Rico.

The champion and Olympian Sofía Mulanovich was watching them closely, who participated as an official commentator, and saluted what the Peruvians had done.

“We are very happy that two more places have been obtained. This reaffirms that Peruvian surfing is a world power. Sol and Alonso showed their quality with great consistency in their heats and on the verge of the final,” the 2004 and 2019 world champion, who was in Tokyo 2020, told us.

What’s coming for the boys is the dream of many surfers: competing in Tehuapo’o or ‘Chopo’ as they call it, in Tahiti. They are very big, aggressive waves that will demand the maximum from those classified.

“That it is in Tehuapo’o is a dream come true for surfing because there is no better wave that can show what the great connection that surfers have with the sea and nature is all about,” explains Sofi. “Teahupo’o is a consequence wave and one of the most dangerous in the world and if it is a good day of waves, surfing is going to be the most impressive sport to see on the screen. It will be a spectacle,” the Peruvian surf queen tells us.

El Comercio learned that the Peruvian Board Federation is planning training bases in Tahiti before the Games so that national surfers can fight for a medal. Lucca is already in the Paris 2024 Program and steps must be taken to quickly include Sol and Alonso so that they can have the proper preparation.

Surfing never stops giving us joy and the Games are coming. But also Lucca looking for a return to the CT and the other boys looking for a place in the Challenger Series.

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