Peru surfers dominate at Pan Am Games

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s Lucca Mesinas and Daniella Rosas won gold in their surfing finals at the Pan American Games on Sunday and a likely ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

International Surfing Association longboard world champion Benoit “Piccolo” Clemente, also from Peru, won the men’s longboard final.

Brazil’s Chloe Calmon took gold in women’s longboard.

Siblings Giorgio Gomez and Isabella Gomez from Colombia took gold for stand-up paddle surfing in the men’s and women’s events.

Hundreds of people braved cold and damp weather to cheer on surfers who competed on a reef break about 38 miles (60 kilometers) south of the Peruvian capital Lima. They included Peru President Martín Vizcarra, who shook hands and posed for selfies with people in the packed concrete stands built on the sands of Punta Roca beach.

Surfing was one of the “wait and see” events at the Pan Am Games in Lima. That means the top male and female surfers not yet qualified for the Olympics can earn a spot for Tokyo, although they won’t be announced until May after the ISA World Surfing Games.