体坛英语新闻：Costa Rican Vargas wins 52nd int'l fishing tournament

MANAGUA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Costa Rican Jose Vargas was crowned in the 52nd International Fishing Tournament in Nicaraguan river San Juan, local press said Monday.

In an interview with Nicaraguan official daily "El 19 digital", Vargas said he was excited for his incredible victory.

Vargas won with a 132-pound Atlantic tarpon known as silver king, captured in San Juan River, in San Carlos municipality near the border with Costa Rica, where 80 sport fishers from several countries took part in the competition.

The Costa Rican fisherman said that in the two previous tournaments he also had good results.

"The fishing tournament is a good initiative of the Nicaraguan government to promote a thrilling sport that strengthens friendship ties between different countries by sharing a beautiful site such as San Juan River," said Vargas.

Vargas and the Costa Rican team won the accumulative championship with more than 280 pounds fished in the silver king category.

Also, in this category, U.S. fisher Jessy Parkinson fished a more than 120-pound sample.

The other winners were Costa Ricans Mauricio Alfaro and Poet Ryan in the common snook category, Nicaraguan Margarita Mairena in the chichlid category captured a 4.5-pound sample, and Guatemalan Rene Mark captured a bastard grunt sample.

Costa Rican Hamilton Henriquez won the bonefish category, while three boys, Alberto Zapata in the sea bream category, Donald Mairena in chichlid category and Juan Mairena in the bonefish category also won.

According to Johnny Gutierrez, mayor of San Carlos municipality, fishers from Central America, United States, Canada and France took part in the 52nd edition of the International Fishing Tournament.