Surfers from Brazil and Australia win final Olympic qualifier in warm and windy Puerto Rico

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

ARECIBO, Puerto Rico (AP) — Top surfers Gabriel Medina of Brazil and Sally Fitzgibbons of Australia have won the final qualifier for the upcoming Olympics following nine days of volatile weather. The competition held in Puerto Rico and organized by the International Surfing Association began in late February with 266 surfers from 55 nations, nearly half of them women. The athletes ranged in age from teenagers to those in their 40s. Eight women and six men also qualified in recent days. Among them is 14-year-old Siqi Yang. She became the first Chinese surfer to qualify for the Olympics and the youngest surfer overall to qualify. The competition ended Sunday.