The Olympic Games have been running strong every four years since 1994, but surfing secured an official position at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. It emotionally consumed the surfing professionals and the participating nations alike. As wild as it is stunning, making waves in the tides as part of the Olympics is a dream crackerjacks want to achieve. But letting this dream slip out can be traumatizing, like it was for Carlos Munoz.
Also revered as the best surfer in Costa Rica, Munoz’s luck has always favored him when he hits the waters. But little did he know that air would not back him when he needed it the most. Recalling an incident from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Munoz turned weepy in an interview. And that’s not all. A calamitous disaster compounded to his Tokyo dream deferring too, as he recalls in this heartening tête-à-tête.
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Surfing icon Carlos Munoz ceases to hold back tears
Fresh off a heavy storm situation that resulted in home evacuations and flooding, Munoz was all set to take off for Tokyo. That too, the news came only 48 hours before his feat. He was not in a state to register that his name was on the Olympic screens, accompanied by rocketing cheers. But all these dreams were evaporated into thin air before he could make it to the Japanese capital. His flight was delayed and the moment he was about to write his name in history, turned into a heartbreak. “Somebody came and hugged me and I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I want to cry. I feel like a little baby when you don’t get a toy’”, said the Costa Rican while talking about his ploght then.
However, his following statement proved that maybe sporting stalwarts are made different with a lot of courage in their hearts. “But those things make you stronger, and I think I grew a lot from that experience.” But this Olympic miss wasn’t the only setback he faced in his storied career.
Instances that posed a series of setbacks for Munoz
In conjunction with this Tokyo farrago, he had embarked on the WSL Championship Tour but fell into the maw of a shoulder injury. His shoulder dislocation at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games awaited to be another dream subverted, but he snapped back. Winning that bout was an accolade for his heroism.
Hailing from a family where he and his brothers are first-generation surfers, making it on the global stage holds the utmost importance. This time, he is not willing to take a chance and let the air decide for him. He will look to book an early ticket to Paris. At the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games, Munoz will vie for the most coveted Olympic spot.
Written by
Edited by
Himanshu Sridhar