Special coverage presented by ASOSURF - Photos by ISA - Barboza, Evans and Jimenez 

One of the highlights of these World Surfing Games was Guatemalan Carlos Escobar, who, surfing well in both La Bocana and El Sunzal, made it to round 5 of the world championships and finished among the top 50 out of more than 150 competitors worldwide.

Escobar achieved the best result in the history of a Guatemalan in an ISA World Open.

And, although Guatemala has been showing a different side at the World Championships for several years, with top-level surfers advancing to the finals, they have never reached Round 5 at a World Surfing Games.

Below is what Escobar said about his result in an interview:

It's the best result for a Guatemalan player at the ISA Open World Championships. How do you feel about it?
I think it's been my best personal achievement of my career. The truth is, it's a huge satisfaction to know that Guatemala is constantly moving forward.

Are you still hungry for more or are you happy with the top 50?
The desire to go as far as possible is always there, and reaching the top 50 is satisfying, but I know I can go further, and I know I'll achieve it next year.

What do you think you changed in this event to achieve the result?
Trust in myself, believe that I can go further.

What did you do to prepare so well?
I think that the experience of competing in various events throughout the year has helped me improve my surfing and my way of competing.

How much influence did the work of ASOSURF, which we know supports you, have?
The truth is, I think it's had a lot of influence. Without Asosurf's support, none of this would have been possible. This year, we've been working better than ever with coaches like Ricardo Kaufman and Cristian Mendez.

How is your year going?
Now the Central American Games, which we are hosting, are coming up, and our focus now is on ensuring that medal goes to Guatemala.