Zane Schweitzer competes in the gold-medal final of men’s SUP surfing at the Pan American Games in Chile on Monday. ISA / Pablo Jimenez photos
Maui’s Zane Schweitzer and Connor Baxter both won gold for Team USA at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games on Monday in Pichilemu, Chile.
Massive 10-15 foot surf, easily four-to-five times overhead, poured into Punta de Lobos, providing an impressive show for the medalists to be decided in the women’s and men’s divisions of each of the four surfing disciplines: shortboard, longboard, SUP surfing and SUP racing. The swell was amongst the biggest seen in the ISA’s history, according to a news release from the International Surfing Association.
It was in SUP surfing and racing where Maui’s stars shined.
Schweitzer, the 2016 ISA world champion who was making his first Pan Am Games appearance, defeated Brazil’s Luiz Diniz 16.00-10.23 in the men’s SUP surf gold-medal final. He was making his return to competition after two months out of the water following the devastating Aug. 8 Maui wildfires.
Connor Baxter leaves his competition in the dust on his way to winning the men’s SUP racing final Monday. ISA / Pablo Jimenez photos
“I’ve been praying for my community back home this whole time,” Schweitzer was quoted as saying in the ISA news release. “It’s been really hard to be here, but this win makes it all worthwhile. This type of venue is what SUP Surfing was made for. I’m so proud to be an ambassador for this sport.”
In SUP racing, Baxter backed up his Lima 2019 victory with a runaway win Monday. He finished the course in a time of 12 minutes, 49.9 seconds, well ahead of runner-up Itzel Delgado of Peru (13:25.2).
Joining Schweitzer on the SUP surf podium was fellow Mauian Finn Spencer, who won bronze while representing Canada. Diniz defeated Spencer 15.17-9.66 in the bronze-medal heat earlier in the day.
In men’s shortboard, Maui’s Cody Young, who also represented Canada, finished just out of the medals in fourth place.
Finn Spencer competes in the bronze-medal heat in men’s SUP surfing on Monday in Chile. ISA / Pablo Franco photo
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