Santiago Muñiz from Argentina and Kanoa Igarashi from Japan are the only two athletes who have already guaranteed their ticket to the grand final of the ISA World Surfing Games 2018. With this, the Argentinean put one foot in the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, where the two best open men and the two best open women from the member countries of the Pan American Surfing Association qualify.

Considering that the other competitor already qualified for the grand final is Japanese (he is not fighting with him for a ticket to the Pan American Games) and that of the remaining 22 who are still alive through the repechage, only eight are fighting for one of the two places (two Canadians, two Americans, one Brazilian, one Mexican and two Ticos –Peru, which has three athletes still alive, already has their spots guaranteed-), and that of them two will reach the podium, the chances of Argentina already having a surfer in Lima 2019 are very high.

On the other hand, the passage to the grand final means for Argentina another medal in an ISA world championship, at least a copper one, which adds to the two golds won by Usuna, the gold won by Muñiz in 2011 and the gold won by Ignacio Gundesen last year.

The other thing that is not at all minor is that from the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, Olympic qualification is at stake; the first eligible athlete qualifies for the Olympic Games.