by Rod Hughes

While all eyes in Costa Rica were fixed, as usual, on the soccer pritch this weekend, one of their own was making good in another sport. Gilbert Brown of Limon province was bringing home the bronze medal in the Panamerican Open Surfing Tourney in Iquique, Chile.

Hardly a household name in surfing circles and certainly not a favorite, he now has the attention of his fellow competitors as surfer to watch. The Puerto Viejo native went up against dozens of sufers to wind up the third best in the hemisphere in the open category.

Brown’s bronze contributed to his country’s fourth place finish among the 18 countries represented. His performance was the best for a Costa Rican since Jason Torres picked up a gold in the junior category. It also marks this country’s surfers as a power to reckon with, after Federico Pilurzu’s capture of fourth place on Januarly, 2006, in the Panamerican at Punta Roca, Peru.

Brown’s medal was doubly sweet, not only because he earned it after an arduous five days of competion, but also because he earned it on his 24th birthday.