In all the editions of the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship, the only surfer that managed the feat of claiming his title in two consecutive years in the same division was Puerto Rican Juan Ashton. Ashton obtained his first crown on January 28, 2007, after shrewdly sliding the enormous waves of his hometown in Marías, Rincón, Puerto Rico, which broke at 10 and 15 ft on the day that defined the first World Masters Champions. The local athlete knew how to choose the good ones and with his powerful style packed the waves with maneuvers and barrels to beat Tahitian Heifara Tahutini, Brazilian Wagner Pupo and South African John McCarthy. A year later, in the classic waves of Punta Rocas breaking consistently at 6 to 8 ft, Ashton was in charge of repeating his accomplishment, easily winning a final heat that also had Brazilian Ricardo Toledo, Australian Rob Page and Australian Jay Sharpe. “This was ten times harder than the previous title, considering the conditions here. I had a dislocated hip, cold, was resting in bed for the previous two days with ice-cube applications – the truth is that it was really tough here. Given that I knew I was hurt, I also knew that in order to win it had to be with two waves, not five or six, because I did not have the energy for that. I took those two with all the energy inside me. I feel incredible” said a laughing and very happy Ashton. Ashton achieved an amazing second World Masters title, but apart from his results as a veteran, there’s a junior and professional career that backs the work that brought him these two consecutive masters titles. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1973 and began surfing when 9-years-old. Six trips around the world later, he placed ninth in the 1988 World Championship. In the following year he won the Natural Art Caribbean Pro Am. He was the third Puerto Rican surfer to win international attention, after Jorge Machuca and Edwin Santos. Doing things well, in the 1989 Natural Art Caribbean Pro, he managed to prevail over the now 8-time World Champion Kelly Slater, who was 16-years-old then, as was Ashton. Juan Ashton is a powerful surfer. He combines an appealing style with effective maneuvers, destroying the waves with long and potent curves. He is a skilled tube rider and when good conditions occur at home, he goes down to Tres Palmas in a grand manner, together with his peers. As all his countrymen, he has a cheerful personality and is loved by everyone that steps in his path.
|       |
 |
 |