Coverage presented by El Salvador Travel, Pure Surf El Salvador y #SurfCityElSalvador

The 2019 Latin American surfing champion is Lucas Madrid and not Juninho Urcia. The Latin American Association of Professional Surfers (ALAS) changed its ranking today, at 6:30 pm local time in El Salvador, 10 hours after an article published by DUKE that consecrated the Peruvian as champion based on the ranking published by the organization almost a week ago.

According to DUKE, Urcia's result in Puerto Escondido was changed because he did not show up for his round 4 heat. The action was taken because, as ALAS informed DUKE, the competitor who was a title contender, Madrid, filed the claim, ALAS informed DUKE.

According to several sources who spoke to DUKE, the claim is based on Article 50 of the WSL rulebook, which states that if a surfer does not show up for a series for a reason other than an injury or a legitimate concern for their safety that must be submitted in writing, points will not be awarded nor will any money earned.

In an official statement sent to the media, ALAS declared: "Lucas Madrid from Uruguay is officially the new 2019 ALAS Latin American Open Men's Champion. Madrid competed three out of four dates this year and his fifth place in the last date was enough to be unreachable in the final standings."

Last Saturday the waves in Puerto Escondido were solid, with 6 to 10 feet and Juninho did not remove the lycra. According to the rules, if he had worn the lycra and wet his feet it would have been enough to be champion.

According to calculations made by DUKE based on the ranking that is still published, Juninho Urcia had 8700 points, which would be impossible to reach if Madrid did not get past its quarterfinal series against Bryan Pérez.

This score was made up of 3000 points won by Urcia in Chile, 3300 won here in El Salvador and 2400 from Mexico. The authorities lowered Mexico's result to 2190, which put it in second place, with 8526 points for Madrid and 8490 for Urcia.