192 CultureShock! Chile
tennis are generally reserved for the upper classes. Tennis is
a favourite spectator sport because from time to time Chile
produces top rate players. Anita Lizana won the US Open
Championship in 1937. Patricio Cornejo, Hans Gildemeister
and Jaime Fillol were great in the 1980’s. Marcelo ‘El Chino’
Ríos was a top-seeded men’s player in the 1990’s. Nicolás
‘Vampiro’ Massú and Fernando González are internationally
competitive players today.Horses
Chile has fine horseback riders, as there is a large enough
upper class to support the sport, and the national team
usually does well at the Olympics. A Chilean rider, Alberto
Larraguibel (now deceased) holds the international high
jumping record for horses.
Horse racing is a more popular spectator sport, with fine
Chilean horses appearing at tracks around the world. The
two main racing events each year are the Derby in Viña del
Mar in January and El Ensayo in Santiago in October.Kayaking and other outdoor sports allow you to enjoy the beautiful Chilean
landscape.