Raúl Andrés Ríos de Choudens (born 3 December 1993 in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), is a world class

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

in the Optimist,

Snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a ...

, and

Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

classes. He began sailing Optimists at the age of ten at the Club Náutico de San Juan, and became North American champion and World champion in 2008. From the Optimist class, he moved into the

420 420 may refer to: * 420 (number) *420 (cannabis culture), informal reference to cannabis use and celebrations on April 20 ** California Senate Bill 420 or the Medical Marijuana Program Act *AD 420, a year in the 5th century of the Julian calendar * ...

and

classes. He started sailing in the Snipe Class by crewing for Ernesto Rodriguez just after summer of 2008, training for the Western Hemisphere's championship in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

that November where they finished third overall. He then took the skipper position, with Fernando Monllor from the Club Náutico de Ponce as a crew, competing in the US Nationals, the North Americans, the Western Hemisphere and Oriental Championship, the Pan American Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games. He won the following regattas: * United States National Championship (2013, 2014, 2015) *

North American Championship A North American Championship is a top level international sports competition between North American athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships ;Bridge * North American B ...

(2011, 2012, 2015, 2022) * Western Hemisphere & Orient Championship (2014) *

South American Championship A South American Championship is a top level international sports competition between South American athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships * ATP Buenos Aires, a tenni ...

(2023) In 2017, he won another world championship, the Snipe class Worlds, with Max Agnese as his crew, in Corunna, the bronze medal at the

Southamericans, and World Championship at Salinas Yacht Club, with Sebastian Higuera and Nicolas Deeb.

Pan American Games

* 4th place in Snipe at Guadalajara 2011. * 1st place in Snipe at Toronto 2015.

Central American and Caribbean Games

* 1st place in Snipe at Mayagüez 2010. * 1st place in Snipe at Veracruz 2014. * 1st place in Snipe at Barranquilla 2018.

College

Ríos sailed for Boston College, where he earned ICSA Coed All-American Honors, earned first team All- NEISA Skipper Honors, and was named an All-America Skipper in May 2013. He earned the 2015-16 Eagle of the Year Award, and was one of the three finalists for the prestigious College Sailor of the Year award. Raul served as Team Captain and encouraged his team to engage in community service projects and high academic success.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rios, Raul 1993 births Boston College Eagles sailors Living people Optimist class world champions People from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican male sailors (sport) Pan American Games gold medalists for Puerto Rico Sailors at the 2011 Pan American Games Sailors at the 2015 Pan American Games Snipe class sailors Snipe class world champions Pan American Games medalists in sailing World champions in sailing for Puerto Rico Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Puerto Rico Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in sailing Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games