Rafael Pereira wins gold in Central American surfing

Rafael Pereira has claimed the gold medal in men's shortboard surfing at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, securing a victory in an all-Venezuelan final against José López.

The competition took place at Playa Encuentro, where Pereira, hailing from La Guaira, achieved a total score of 14.84 points with wave scores of 6.67 and 8.17. This performance significantly surpassed López's score of 10.10, which included wave scores of 4.67 and 5.43.

This gold medal marks an improvement for Venezuela's surfing representation compared to the San Salvador 2023 games, where the national team secured two silver medals and one bronze. As of the latest count, Venezuela has accumulated a total of 68 medals in the Santo Domingo 2026 games, comprising 12 gold, 20 silver, and 36 bronze medals.

This medal tally places the Venezuelan delegation in fourth position in the overall standings. Mexico leads the medal table with 147 medals, including 62 gold, followed by Colombia with 94 medals (36 gold) and Cuba with 54 medals (16 gold). The games, which commenced on July 24 in the Dominican Republic, are scheduled to conclude with the closing ceremony on August 8.