After years of being the promising brother of Alejo, Argentinean Santiago Muñiz, made a huge name for himself with his victory at the 2011 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games. 

Santiago Muñiz was born on November 24, 1992 in Mar del Plata, a province of Buenos Aires. His parents sought out a place of refuge from harsh winters of Mar del Plata and decided to raise their children in Brazil. Rubén, their father, had always been a surfer and was determined to take on the responsibility of training and motivating his sons to be great surfers.

Although Santiago’s professional career isn’t overflowing with triumphs, his excellent performances in Brazil and Argentina, especially in the last three years, caught the attention of the Argentinean Team Managers, who have added him to their team.

The first time he competed for Argentina was as a Junior in the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in New Zealand, where his performance landed him in the top 16. This was an ample performance given the fact that he surfed the last rounds with a knee injury. Santiago's second appearance was in 2010 in Punta Hermosa, Peru, where he finished below the standard he had previously demonstrated.

At Playa Venao, Panama he was expected to show his full potential. As the results reveal, he did not disappoint.  Santiago provided a solid run at the main event causing the public to see him as a potential event champion. His fall to the repechage created a sincere motivation for him to give it his all in the remaining rounds. It was astonishing to see him develop his physical skill and mental power as he charged onto win the World Championship.

An abundant Argentinean crowd and teammates went crazy when the result was announced on the loudspeakers. “This is so amazing, I don’t have words to express my feelings right now,” said an excited Muñiz. “I’m so happy, this is a big achievement for Argentina. I’ve trained so hard for this, and now I will celebrate. My team kept me motivated and with good energy. I love all my family and my dad who really supports me. He is responsible for 90 percent of my performance, because without him and my team, I never would have won.”