Members of the Chilean longboard team were injured during training

Rafael Cortez and José Manuel Boza were shot with a pellet gun by another surfer in Punta de Lobos; the injuries "were minor" according to an official statement from the country's federation

March 27th, 2023

Rafael Cortez and José Manuel Boza, members of the Chilean longboard team, were wounded by shots from an air gun last Saturday while they were participating in a training session of the team for this modality, the Chilean surfing federation announced today in an official statement signed by its president Patricia Albornoz.

Neither surfer is in danger and their injuries were not serious; the surfers were hit in the lower limbs, the statement added.

“During the morning session, on the 25th, on his second day at the training camp, an individual began to speak rudely and aggressively to the athletes, both men and women. This situation continued on the beach, with coach Miguel Maturana being verbally attacked and threatened with physical aggression,” they report.

They added: “This person, despite knowing perfectly well that they were athletes from the federation since they were wearing identifying vests and our coach was wearing the TeamChile uniform, as well as flags and a recording camera, left the place threatening to return, which he did 30 minutes later, but this time with a pellet gun. After verbally attacking the team, he fired a first shot that hit one of our athletes’ legs, which led part of the team, helped by people who were at the scene, to subdue the individual and take away his weapon.”

The police arrested the individual and the athletes to verify the injuries suffered by Cortez and Boza. These "were minor and they are recovering," they explain.

“As a federation, we deeply regret what happened. We want to give our full support to the athletes and coaches who were victims of this unforgettable moment, condemning violence in any of its forms and calling on our community to express its rejection of this and all types of violence in our sport, whether from local or foreign players. Nothing justifies aggression in any form,” he concludes.

Today, in her Instagram stories, Cortez thanked everyone for the support given to her in the face of what has come to light. “We don’t want to witness more situations like this that only dirty and damage the environment and this magical place that brings us only pleasant moments. Thank God we are okay and we got out of a situation that could have ended much worse.”