Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 31, 2026 – Brothers Jonathan Abraham and Juan Pablo Melendres Basulto gave the Banderas Bay region two champions in different surfing disciplines, winning longboard and men’s stand-up paddle surf gold as Mexico finished atop the surfing medal table at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.
The surfing events were held at Playa Encuentro in Cabarete, Puerto Plata, more than 150 kilometers north of Santo Domingo. The competition concluded Wednesday, July 29, with Jonathan defeating Panama’s Agustín Cedeño by 13.60 points to 12.27 in the longboard final.
Juan Pablo completed the family double in SUP surf, defeating Mexican teammate Giovanni de Jesús Bercian García by 14.60 points to 11.06. The Santo Domingo organizing committee confirmed Puerto Rico’s Max Torres took bronze in the discipline.
Mexico ended the surfing program with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Bercian supplied the silver behind Juan Pablo, while Heriberto Torres Martínez placed third in longboard. Mexico and Puerto Rico each collected four surfing medals, but Mexico led the standings with two golds.
The brothers reached Santo Domingo through different competitive paths. The Mexican Surfing Federation’s Pan American results show Jonathan entered the regional games after earning longboard silver in Panama earlier this year. He advanced through five rounds before losing a close final to American Kevin Skvarna by 12.60 points to 12.00.
Juan Pablo placed 13th in SUP surf at the same Pan American competition with 450 ranking points. His victory in the Dominican Republic therefore marked a substantial change from the qualifying event, while Jonathan converted his Pan American silver into a regional championship.
Jonathan, known in surfing as “Gordo,” has built much of his competitive identity around the Nayarit side of the bay and is regularly listed with that state in national events. The Mexican Olympic Committee also identifies him as the first Mexican winner of MexiLogFest, an internationally recognized traditional longboard competition.
Juan Pablo’s development has been more closely connected to Jalisco’s sports system. Local reporting identifies him as an athlete in Puerto Vallarta’s high-performance development program, supported by the Jalisco State Sports Council.
The result links both sides of the Banderas Bay surfing corridor. Puerto Vallarta provides Juan Pablo’s institutional training base, while Jonathan is closely associated with the longboard communities around Punta de Mita and Sayulita. The latter is also scheduled to receive Mexico’s first Surf City designation in November.
Surfing was the 14th discipline completed by Mexico at the games. Competition in the remaining sports continues through August 8.
