Something to Root For in Costa Rica

With about 800 miles of coastline, it’s no surprise that surfing is a major draw in Costa Rica.  As a result, there are quite a few Tico professionals who travel the world competing.  Three of these surfers qualified for the recent Tokyo 2020. With 40 total slots—20 women and 20 men—for all the countries, our athletes needed to rank in Olympic-sanctioned competitions ranging from the PanAmerican Games to the International Surfing Association World Surfing Games. Our representatives were Brisa Hennessy from Matapalo (currently living in Fiji)—the only Costa Rican on the World Surf League Championship Tour—and former national women’s surf champion Leilani McGonagle from Pavones. When the Portugual surfer tested COVID positive, two-time Costa Rica national surf champion Carlos Muñoz of Esterillos was called up to compete. Hennessy made it all the way to the quarterfinals, while McGonagle fell out in Round 2.  It was most disappointing for Muñoz, who got the news he was in the Olympics while he was in Costa Rica. Despite Herculean efforts by the surfer and the Olympic Committee of Costa Rica, he did not arrive in Tokyo in time for his heat, so was marked as a loss.