Another hat trick for paddleboarder Mariecarmen Rivera

Puerto Rico’s Mariecarmen Rivera won the gold medal in the Sprint Race final at the 2025 ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championship in El Sunzal, El Salvador on Saturday with a time of 1 minute, 12 seconds.

By THE STAR STAFF

Puerto Rico’s Mariecarmen Rivera won the gold medal in the Sprint Race final at the 2025 ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championship in El Sunzal, El Salvador on Saturday.

It was her second hat trick of medals at world championships in less than a month, having previously achieved the feat at both the International Surfing Association World Championship and the International Canoe Federation (ICF) World Championship.

“What Mariecarmen has done in this last month is extraordinary,” Puerto Rico Olympic Committee President Sara Rosario Vélez said in a written statement. “Two world championships, two hat tricks, and a level of consistency that places her among the best in the world. Puerto Rico proudly celebrates this historic achievement.”

Rivera finished with a time of 1 minute, 12 seconds. Spain’s Alba Alonso took silver with 1:16, while Italy’s Cecilia Pampinella earned bronze with 1:18.

Rivera won gold in the sprint race, silver in the technical race on Friday, and silver in the distance race last Thursday.

She earned her first triple medal finish in Abu Dhabi during the ICF Stand Up Paddling World Championships.