Special coverage presented by International Surfing Association

“Calm, happy, excited. I still can’t believe it. I was competing and little by little I was passing heats for the main event. The only thing I didn’t want was to lose, the goal was not to lose and I still haven’t lost and we have achieved this (he said pointing to his ticket),” said Alonso Correa after receiving his golden ticket that symbolizes his Olympic qualification.

“I came here knowing that there was a chance, but more than anything to have a good championship, and I am happy to have achieved it, to have had a good championship, but I have already achieved one goal. An incredible goal, a golden opportunity, and now, just imagine, going to race at Teahupoo is a lifelong dream of mine; last year I almost went and in the end I couldn’t, now we are going to go no matter what,” he added, laughing, surrounded by his parents, teammates and loved ones.

“It’s a big step. I had had some very good years, but I had had a couple of not so good years, without getting any results. Being able to qualify gives me confidence, anyway,” he said.

He concluded by saying that the idea is to move forward and “win a medal, that is the goal now.”

He wants Teahupoo to be “a good ten feet long, have a good board and be able to dive in headfirst,” he says.

“I have wanted to go many times so I am dreaming about it,” he concluded.