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Craig 'Tequila' Schieber, New World Surf King

08 November, 2011 03:28:00 Tamarindo News Staff

Photo By: Billy Watts Courtesy of: Asociacion Costarricense de Surf

Craig 'Tequila' Schieber, New World Surf King

• Andrea Diaz is fifth in the world, equaling the role of tico Jason Torres in a World Tournament.

• Costa Rica is among the top 10 teams, occupying the seventh position out of 21 countries competing.

In what is already part of the history of surfing in Costa Rica, last
October 23, Costa Rican Craig "Tequila" Schieber won in the Masters category of the World Championship known as "ISA World Masters Surfing Championship," which took place in El Salvador.

When winning the Grand Kahuna (over 50), Schieber became the first Costa Rican to win a World Surfing Tournament.

"Today, the Costa Rican, naturalized 20 years ago, gave this discipline, and especially the sport of the country, its first Olympic medal after qualifying for the finals of the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Championship, early in the morning," said the National Association of Surfing.

The national surfer began the competitions with high scores and kept his good performance until the last day, until the finals, when he won the gold medal for the country. He placed fifth in Latin America, position he has held for the last four editions ... since the very first edition of this tournament.

At the end of the playoff, he won as result of a combination of 12.60, the fourth highest in his category, one of the top five that he has established as the best. "Tequila" tamed eight out of the ten best waves in Grand Kahuna. He won the first four.

In the finals, the national surfer confronted the three major powers in the world of surfing: Nick Pearson from Australia, Alen Sarlo from U.S. and Khris Knutsen from South Africa.

A wave of 3.53 let him entered the final bill and that was enough for Costa Rica to celebrate the first Olympic gold since 1990, when the country was first represented in World tournaments.

"It was tough to start this championship by losing my first heat and having been sent to the playoffs. So, I started building a house, climbing, pulling out results, getting good waves. Today, I have no much to say. I'm just way too happy," said Tequila through the Costa Rican Association of Surfing.

The crowd cheered Craig, who has achieved what any other Central American had ever achieved in a World Championship’s final. The surfer waved the flag of Costa Rica in Punta Roca, accompanied by the applause of an audience that was visibly moved.

Andrea Díaz: Outstanding Female Participation
Beside the scepter of the world male champion was also shining the participation of our female representative: Andrea Diaz.
Diaz unfolded her attitude and placed fifth in the competition after achieving the third place in the playoff finals against surfers from surf power countries like Brazil and the United States.

Australian Laybe Beachley, the undisputed seven-time world champion, won gold for the first time in a World Cup of the International Surfing Association (ISA).

After the good performance of the tica, the national team managed to earn valuable points during the tournament. As a team, Costa Rica reached place number seven, surpassing its previous participation in Panama 2010 by three positions; there, the national team was placed tenth.

"You always go to a competition with lots of expectations and high hopes. I did not expect myself to do as well. I am super happy and proud of the result. When I went out of the water I felt sad, but the truth is that I surfed well," said Andrea.

According to records from the Costa Rican Association of Surfing, Diaz now matched Costa Rica’s second highest participation in a World Championship: Jason Torres’ in Portugal, when he finished fifth at the World Open.
For José Ureña, Technical Director of the national surfing team, the individual results are a reflection of the work performed as a team throughout the week, plus a result of the selection process that has been carried out in recent years.
"Craig was awesome today. Today’s work was a something that has been announced since last year, when luck was not on our side. He has the quality, so that finally gave the result."