No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaCosta Rica Celebrates Olympic BMX Hero with Land Grant

Costa Rica Celebrates Olympic BMX Hero with Land Grant

Following his fourth-place finish in BMX Freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics, Costa Rican rider Kenneth Tencio was celebrated with a homecoming parade on Thursday in the municipality of Garabito, Puntarenas.

The municipality also announced that it will donate 5,000 square meters for a BMX freestyle park, following news that the land Tencio currently rents for that purpose will be converted into a condominium development.

“We have found the land for you to realize your park, your dream, so that we have many Kenneth Tencios in the future,” said Gerardo Calderón, leader of the municipality’s tourism commission. “This will bring benefits to us as a canton, because it will attract sports and also commerce.”

The future BMX park will be located near Jacó. “I feel that this is not only for me, but for the entire sports community, because I know that this will help alternative sports to continue growing,” Tencio said.

Tencio placed fourth in Tokyo, finishing 0.3 points short of Declan Brooks (Great Britain) and the bronze. The fourth-place finish earned Tencio an Olympic diploma — awarded to the top eight. It also represented the best-ever showing for a male Costa Rican athlete at the Olympics.

Prior to his Olympic performance, Tencio created a BMX-inspired video tour of Costa Rica, which you can watch below:

Trending Now

Novak Djokovic Advances to Australian Open Semifinals After Musetti Retires

Novak Djokovic reached the semifinals of the Australian Open on January 27, 2026, when Lorenzo Musetti retired from their quarterfinal match. The Serbian trailed...

Stan Wawrinka Bows Out Gracefully After Final Australian Open Run

In a poignant end to his long association with the tournament he won in 2014, 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka was defeated by ninth seed Taylor...

Why Costa Rica Traffic Fines Feel Out of Proportion on Rural Roads

I once got a speeding ticket for going about 30 kph over the posted speed limit on the Costanera Sur highway near Jacó. While...

Exchange Rate Climbs: What It Means for Your Costa Rica Budget

The Costa Rican colón has dropped against the US dollar in recent days, with the exchange rate moving closer to the 500 colones per...

Junior Tennis Stars Shine as Copa del Café 2026 Concludes

The 61st edition of the Copa del Café wrapped up on January 24 at the Costa Rica Country Club in Escazú, where young tennis...

Panama hosts talks to coordinate Haiti support after UN funding effort falters

About thirty countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have been meeting in Panama since Monday to draft an emergency plan for Haiti, which...
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica