MAJOR UPSETS ON SECOND DAY OF ELIMINATION ROUNDS AT 2015 NICARAGUA UNICA... ORIGINAL ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES

ATTENTION MEDIA:

Costa Rica's Leilani McGonagle took advantage of the morning offshore wind and posted the highest heat score of the day for the women's division. McGonagle scored 16.27 in her heat victory, and moved one step closer to the Women's Final.

ATTENTION MEDIA:

The Men opened the event and gave the crowd a dose of what is to come, by performing critical maneuvers throughout all 24 heats of the Main Event.

As predicted by Surfline, the official forecaster of the event, the ocean offered consistent chest to head high sets throughout the day allowing the competitors to display their world-class talent. The conditions were clean as Nicaragua's infamous offshore winds blew lightly from dawn until dusk.

"The first round was absolutely amazing! A south swell and perfect offshore wind made for a great opening day," said ISA President Fernando Aguerre. "Seeing all the athletes on the beach cheering and surfing in the name of their countries was really special. The sportsmanship and team camaraderie is truly a unique feeling that only an ISA World Championship provides. I look forward to seeing athletes perform when the solid and larger swell arrives to Nicaragua in the middle of the week." 

 2015 Nicaragua Unica Original ISA World Surfing Games Begin Sunday

Those in attendance included ISA President Fernando Aguerre (via teleconference), President of the Nicaraguan Surfing Federation Carlos Deshon, Minister of Nicaraguan Tourism Mayra Salinas, Director General of the Nicaraguan Institute of Sports Marlon Torres, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee for Nicaragua María Antonieta Ocón, Second Police Chief Commissioner General Francisco Díaz, Local Event Organizer Lucy Valenti and Nicaraguan National Surfing Team athletes Valentina Resano and Rex Calderon.

Official Poster of the 2015 ISA World Surfing Games, which will be held in the world-class waves of Playa Popoyo, Nicaragua, May 31- June 7.

La Jolla, California, May 21, 2015 - From May 31st to June 7th, the top surfers in the world will gather in Playa Popoyo, Nicaragua, for the 2015 ISA World Surfing Games. The competition will be held at a one of the most renowned breaks in all of Nicaragua.

The 2015 ISA World Surfing Games is rapidly approaching. Over 150 men and women surfers from more than 25 countries will soon arrive to the beautiful country of Nicaragua, its welcoming people, warm waters, and incredible waves.

These are the ten things you need to know about the 2015 ISA World Surfing Games.

1. The ISA World Surfing Games

The 2015 ISA World Surfing Games will gather over 25 National Delegations from every corner of the world, who will gather to compete for their National Team in an "Olympic-Style" event. The surfers compete for medals and the honor of representing their respective countries.

2. The Competition

The 2015 ISA World Surfing Games is a team competition with individual Men's and Women's divisions. Each National Team includes 4 Open Men's and 2 Open Women's competitors.

3. The Champions

The results from the ISA 50^th Anniversary World Surfing Games, which took place in Punta Rocas, Peru in 2014, were as follows:

Team Medals

Peru - Gold

Australia - Silver

Argentina - Bronze

Costa Rica - Copper

Open Men's

Leandro Usuna (ARG) - Gold

Anthony Fillingim (CRI) - Silver

Shane Holmes(AUS) - Bronze

Nicholas Squires (AUS) - Copper

Open Women's

Anali Gomez (PER) - Gold

Dominic Barona (ECU) - Silver

Phillippa Anderson (AUS) - Bronze

Jessica Grimwood (AUS) - Copper