Young Costa Rican rower Jorge Camacho finished fourth in an American competition for that sport during an event held at the Punta Leona Beach Club and Nature Resort located in Mantas Beach, in the canton of Garabito, Puntarenas Province.
Camacho, who was one of the stars of the two-day event, participated in the Under-19 Men’s Solo category, completing the 500-meter course with a time of 2 minutes, 56 seconds, and 87 hundredths (2:56:87). The Costa Rican stood out in the 2025 edition of the American Beach Sprint
Coastal Rowing Championship, a sporting event that brought together the best exponents of the discipline from Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, Canada, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, the United States, and, of course, Costa Rica.
The final of the U-19 Men’s Solo division was won by Santiago Ferrer (Argentina), followed by Eduardo Vásquez (Paraguay) in second place, and Joaquín Paré, also from Argentina, in third place.
A very happy experience
The Costa Rican said, “Obtaining a fourth place in an event that brings together the best from the American continent makes me very happy because I had high-level rivals to advance little by little until reaching the decisive stages.” “I think this result is the result of the great effort I’ve put into the last few months, training and preparing very hard to go as far as possible this time; it’s also a good incentive for future competitions,” emphasized Camacho, who had to row 500 meters in the boat.
Other national athletes
In the Senior Solo Female category, national athlete Valeria Rodríguez made it to the quarterfinals. National athletes Aryana Gordienko and Jorge Camacho, as well as Thomas Rodríguez and Valentina Gordienko, advanced to the U-19 Mixed category. Additionally, Aryana Gordienko reached the quarterfinals in the U-19 category with a time of 3:27:02.
Martha Estrada, President of the Rowing Federation (FEDERE), emphasized that the organization of the two-day event in Punta Leona “put the country on the international map of this discipline, which, from this seed, will surely attract the interest of new talents who will bring many triumphs to the country in the future.”
“The fact that we had several competitors in the advanced stages of the Championship has us very excited because these are very young boys who demonstrated great talent, which we must now hone with the support of the Federation and the future competitions we plan to organize in order to maintain a high competitive level. It was a great celebration of sports; the boys truly enjoyed themselves and supported each other as a great team in an atmosphere of maximum excitement, including a ski diving exhibition,” declared the President of FEDERE. The organization of the 3rd American Beach Sprint Coastal Rowing Championship in Mantas Beach received the designation of an event of Cultural Interest from the Municipality of Garabito.
In 2023, rowing was declared an Olympic sport and will thus be eligible to participate in the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar and in the major competitions during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
About FEDERE
The Costa Rican Rowing Federation (FEDERE) is the entity recognized by the Costa Rican State to direct and regulate the practice of this sport in the country. It seeks to develop the discipline as a way to encourage practice in coastal cantons to boost the economy and tourism—among other goals—and thus stimulate local development.
