Lima 2019 Ambassador “Piccolo” Clemente became world longboard champion in France. He will compete in Lima 2019 in his best conditions.

There are people who like the sea, there are others who love it and there are others who just can't live a day without it. Benoit ‘Piccolo’ Clemente is in the last group.

Last weekend he won the only international event he was missing, adding it to his huge list of championships and awards: the International Surfing Association (ISA)World Longboard Championship.

The championship took place on the beautiful beaches of Biarritz, France, and after four rounds and a repechage, he reached the tournament's final.

 In that stage, he competed with three opponents: local brothers Antoine and Edouard Delpero, and American Cole Robbins.

“Piccolo” Clemente did not reach the first place until the last moment, when fate had a special gift prepared for him: an almost perfect wave that gave him 7.7 points to rise to the top and claim the title.

This tournament was a rematch of what happened six years ago. In 2013, he participated in the first ISA World Longboard Championship held in Huanchaco, Piccolo’shometown. Although he suffered a torn ligament there, he still reached the semifinals. Six years later, he finally won that long-awaited championship (that should have been his at home, with his people and the sea that watched him grow.).

Son of a French father and a German mother, sport has always been part of his life. Three months after his birth in Cajabamba, Cajamarca, his family moved to Huanchaco and stayed there. He learned surfing when he was seven years old. Five years later, he started winning titles and at the age of 15, he was already a member of the Peruvian national team.

His endless list of championships and achievements includes two individual and one team world championships; three Pan American, Bolivarian and South American championships; six Peruvian national and one Latin American championships.

Besides all championships he has won, he wants to become the Pan American Games champion When he learned that surfing will be included in Lima 2019 for the first time, his main goal was to qualify to the Games and win a medal. However, qualification was not easy.

Because of an update on the qualifying tournament competition schedule, he only had a day and a half to prepare for the competition after arriving in Lima from a tournament in Taiwan. Fortunately, he won the Pan American Championship and qualified to the most important multi-sport event in the year, of which he is an Ambassador.

If you want to see him during the competition and cheer for him in his road to the gold, don't forget to buy your tickets here. So let’s all play!