The 2025 Para-Surfing World Championships were held in Oceanside, California, last week, and the Mexican flag had a place on the podium thanks to Juan Martín Díaz Martínez taking a bronze in the men’s kneel division.
Díaz, a seasoned surfer from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, scored 9.20 points in the final on Friday to secure third place.
Martyn Shutama Diaz Martinez (his Facebook name that he prefers to go by) is captured in action at the end of a ride during the Championships. (Facebook)
“It was a very strategic final, but we are happy with this medal,” Díaz said following Mexico’s only top-three finish in the six-day event.
The gold medal went to Wales’ Llywelyn Williams, who dominated the kneel class with a 13.67, earning his fourth consecutive world crown. Brazil’s Dijackson Santos took silver.
Díaz’s achievement, including a strong showing in the semifinals, was especially hard-fought, as he edged out talented Frenchman Maxime Cabanne.
The championship drew 137 para surfers from 24 countries, reinforcing the sport’s push for Paralympic inclusion, according to the International Surfing Association (ISA).
With a total of 12 medals, France became the first nation ever to claim three consecutive team championships.
Díaz, 31, has a left-leg amputation, allowing him to compete in para events, but a press release from Mexico’s National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (Conade) lauding his bronze made no mention of how or when he lost his leg.
A report last year in the newspaper Noreste said he lost the leg after suffering a motorcycle accident at age 16, and that he has spent more than a decade practicing kneel surfing.
“I used to surf, but it seems that after the accident … I started to delve deeper,” he told the newspaper. “I met new friends and [heard] impactful life stories that helped my emotional development and willpower to keep going.”
Since 2017, the man who goes by Martyn Shutama Diaz Martinez on Facebook has won medals at several international events.
According to his Facebook page, he is a digital creator as well as the founding owner of Blue Therapy Surf, a program in Mazatlán that integrates surfing, meditation, environmental conservation and leadership through surf camps and lessons.
It also says he teaches at Smart Fit México and studied for a bachelor’s degree in physical education and sport at Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa.
During a week of shifting swells at the Oceanside Pier, Díaz maintained his poise, tackling the often unpredictable break with precision and resilience.
After an intense week of competition, he visited Disneyland with his fiancée of 16 months, Malena Sarabia.
“What we saw this week in Oceanside was truly special,” said ISA President Fernando Aguerre. “These athletes keep pushing the sport to new heights, and the world is watching.”
With reports from Noreste, Contra Réplica, Quadratín and ISA Surf
