Three days away from the Pan American Games closing ceremony, the Peruvian rowing delegation wants a medal in one of the most competitive aquatic sports of the Lima 2019 Games and find a place at the top of the continent.

Fans going from 09:00 to Albufera Medio Mundo, in Végueta–Huaura, will witness the effort of the Peruvian squad in their search for the gold in men's and women’s lightweight double sculls.

Meanwhile, the Peruvian team also wants to leave its mark in basque pelota, when fighting for bronze in two matches against Argentina, starting at 09:00 at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center.

Likewise, Peruvian riders Noé Ben Lamin and Alonso Valdez Prado will compete in an arduous preliminary round against Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico, among others. They will be looking for the gold in individual jumping, one of the most emblematic events of equestrian sports, at the Army Equestrian School.

Judo and Karate, two of the most famous martial arts of the Lima 2019 Games, will decide their medalists at the VIDENA Sports Center 1 and at the Villa El Salvador Sports Center. Peru has high hopes in men’s and women’s kata, where its athletes have good chances to place in the podium.  Juan Postigos and Alonso Wong are Peru's best cards in judo.

On the other hand, starting at 15:05, the National Sports Village will be the stage of athletics gold medal events, such as 10,000 m, 5000 meters, 4x100 m relay, javelin, and others, where the physical endurance of the America’s most outstanding athletes will be tested.

On the other hand, the Aquatic Center of VIDENA will stage an intense session starting at 11:00 and until 22:34, where the greatest swimmers of the Lima 2019 Games will compete for gold in events such as 50 m freestyle , 400 m medley, 4x200 m free relay, etc.

Starting at 11:00 at the BMX cycling competition course at Costa Verde, two spectacular gold medal finals will take place in men’s and women’s racing events. 

At the Lima Convention Center, the greatest fencers of the Lima 2019 Games will battle for the podium, in the different events such as sabre and foil, starting at 09:00.

In women’s football, Argentina will compete face Colombia for the gold.  The bronze medal will be disputed between Paraguay and Costa Rica.  Matches will start at 17:30 at San Marcos stadium.

SAILING IN PARACAS

The most skilled sailors of the Lima 2019 Games will try to conquer the Bahía de Paracas waves to win the gold. The competition will start at 12:00 and will offer a wide range of nautical challenges that will test the boats balance.

Racquetball semifinals will be held at the Callao Regional Sports Village, where teams from Mexico, United States, Argentina, Colombia and Bolivia will compete for the bronze in men’s and women’s categories.

At the Costa Verde, skaters will show their speed and balance on the track, in the 300 m time trial speed skating event, for the gold medal, at 10:00.

Likewise, the best wrestlers of the Americas will compete in the freestyle event, starting at 10:00 at the Miguel Grau Coliseum.

In Hockey, Chile and United States will compete for the bronze medal at 15:00 at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center. Later, Argentina and Canada will compete for the gold medal.

Finally, women’s basketball, golf, water polo, softball, table tennis, archery, and women’s volleyball disciplines, the delegations will fight to secure their place in the competition and advance to the final stages.

He raised his hands, as if he had reached an incredible dream. At the top of the podium, Brazilian Renán Torres remembered so many moments, like when he had to move with his family to Sao Paulo at the age of 10 to start a career in Judo, one of the most competitive sports in his country. Tonight, he carved his name in the sport history of his country by winning gold in the Pan American Games.

Nobody expected it. Torres defeated the Ecuadorian Lenin Preciado, current champion in the 60 kg category. A goal that not even Felipe Kitadai and Eric Takabatake, top ranked athletes of his team, could achieve. However, this young 20-year-old athlete took the gold after many years of training on the tatami.

“I was confident during the bout. Preciado is a very strong judoka, but I concentrated on taking advantage of his mistakes and defeat him by ippon. Winning well is different and it was a revenge for the Brazilian Judo, because we could not defeat him last time. This victory makes me believe that I can reach higher, now that I have advanced from the junior to the senior category,” said Renán.

The Argentinian Paula Pareto, Rio 2016 Olympic champion, was another surprise since she lost against the Cuban Vanesa Godínez in the -48 kg category. The “Peque” did not show up, after the match for the bronze medal, reporting a back pain because of a hernia. “My very soul aches, but the Tokyo 2019 World Judo Championships is in fifteen days, so I think I made the best decision,” said the Argentinian judoka.

On this first day, Dilmer Calle from Piura lost the match for the bronze medal in the -60kg category against the American Adonis Díaz. Likewise, Brillith Gamarra from Ayacucho lost to Panamanian Kristine Jimenez in the -52 kg category. In both cases, one hold decided the fights.

“Dilmer has very good defense and defeating him was not easy. He is very skilled in defensive techniques. However, I was able to grab him when I realized his arms were getting tired. It was a great fight, surrounded by a very respectful crowd who supported their favorites with a lot of energy,” said Adonis.

On July,26, Edith Noeding did not run into the National Stadium. She entered at a slow pace carrying the Pan American Torch that would start the celebration of the Lima 2019 Games.  

The awarded athlete, Pan American champion in 1975 and considered the best Peruvian athlete of the 20th century, had been chosen to start the party with the torch, which ended when Cecilia Tait lit the cauldron. 

“It was a very special moment, I entered at a slow pace because I was afraid to fall with the torch, could you imagine what would have been happened?” said Edith excited and with a smile when she remembered the moment.  

She was at the Athletics Stadium in VIDENA enjoying the modern facilities and the speed show. “It’s a world-class, spectacular stage that helps to improve times and get new records,” she added.  

She also highlighted the marks obtained by Kimberly Cardoza and Diana Bazalar, who set new national records in these Games. “The girls made new marks, but the tension and the pressure in this type of competitions can make you lose a race, but it’s important compete with athletes that have a good competition level, because that will allow them to get better times. Also, with a scenario like this it is even more possible,” emphasized Edith. 

About the Games, the "Gacela de Oro" (Gold gazelle) mentioned that "everything is working well, the events are on time, the Opening Ceremony was spectacular and we expect the Closing Ceremony is even better.” 

With calm words but also a sense of dissatisfaction for not obtaining the gold medal she had set her mind on since 2015 when Mallqui was awarded the silver medal at Toronto 2015. From that day on, Thalía Mallqui worked really hard, thinking of bringing joy to her people. That joy that she felt at the Callao stadium.

This time she did not capture gold but had the privilege to step onto the podium to receive the bronze medal that could be her last one at the Pan American Games.

How do you feel after competing?

That I have given my best. I know that I gave it my all on the mat and this is the evidence (showing the bronze medal).

You were saying that you are 32 years old. Do you think that this is the end of your career or there is something else?

No, I need to qualify for Tokyo. I want to participate in the Olympic Games. This is a goal that I have not achieved yet, and I do want to be at Tokyo. I want to end my career with an Olympic qualification. After Tokyo, I will know what is like, the complete picture, because I am 32 years old. I also want to enjoy spending time with my family, my son, my career and see how I feel after. It depends on that.

Now, you also represented everyone because you are a Lima 2019 ambassador. Is that also rewarding in your career?

Yes, it definitely is. All of it is important. The truth is that I felt the support of all people who were encouraging me from the beginning. They know I worked hard for all of this. We all know that competing in your own country is not easy at all, and I knew that I had to prepare very hard because the rivals I have faced were tough. Fortunately, I got a positive result with a bronze medal.

What do you think these Games will leave to Peru? For athletes in general, how much of this will this be useful?

To tell you the truth, a lot. The infrastructure that has been built for these Games is top level, and I am sure that any kid that has seen or all young people that have been following the Pan American Games will be encouraged to participate or train in a first-class place.

I am sure that parents, who are their main support, will encourage them to continue doing what they like and what they are passionate. Also, this is the first step. Wanting to do something and then, being fully focused on that because the truth is that sports help us a lot.

The last thing is very exciting. The support of fans who cheer you on in Callao.

Yes, honestly I felt it at the beginning before fighting and at the end because when I was on the mat, I was really focused. I preferred to give all my attention to the match, and that’s exactly what I did. After that, people made noise. They screamed a lot. The truth is that I was not paying attention so much because I was in my business, and I had to be 100% focused. Well, I’m grateful to everyone because of the support I received. I wanted to get a gold medal, but the opponents were so tough.

The Lima 2019 ambassador earned the bronze medal in the women’s wrestling 50 kg repechage round after beating her rival Jacqueline Mollocana 3-1 by points. That was the 11th bronze medal that adds to the seven gold and six silver medals, with a total of 24 that the Peruvian athletes have achieved shortly after finishing the biggest multi-sports event in the continent.

The Pan American Games will come to an end this Sunday, but the Lima 2019 celebration will continue on August 23 with the start of the Parapan American Games, a chance to be part of the Games for those who missed the most important multi-sport event of the Americas. 

The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee Carlos Neuhaus said that the Games are not over yet and added that the closing ceremony of the Pan American Games “will continue what we saw in the opening ceremony.” 

“The last sports are yet to come (of the Pan American Games) as well as a closing ceremony that has sold out, as far as I now;” he said with satisfaction. 

Later, he declared that sport unites people and praised the commitment of the Lima 2019 personnel and over 12,000 volunteers that participated in the Pan American Games. 

“Everybody wants to help,” he said, and that nobody thinks that the Pan American and Parapan American Games will end on September 1.  As we always say, #LetsAllPlay until the end. 

PARAPAN AMERICAN TICKETS 

You can buy your tickets for the Parapan American Games ceremonies and competitions, that will start on August 23 and end on September 1, can be bought at the point of sale located at the Jockey Plaza, in Santiago de Surco. 

They can also be bought at Metro and Wong supermarkets in the districts of Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco. 

You can also get your tickets at the Lima 2019 website: lima2019.pe/tickets or at the Teleticket site: https://teleticket.com.pe/lima2019. 

Fencing in the Americas is usually dominated by the USA and Canada. However, the presence of new athletes from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela in the podium of the last Pan American Games has been remarkable. For this reason, Peru’s participation has to be measured based on the evolution of Peruvian fencers with the highest level of demand at Lima 2019. 

Therefore, Paola Gil Piñero advancing to the round of 16 in individual foil and Maria Luisa Doig reaching the épée quarterfinals are two noteworthy achievements. This morning, the action continued with the team competition, though this time Peru's fate was different. The men competed in épée against the strong Venezuelan team, which features the Grimaldo brothers, while the women's team faced off Canada in foil. 

For the Peruvian fencers, it was still an important experience on the road to competitions in the years to come. This was stated by Kusi Rosales, who was part of the women’s foil team and won a bout in the individual preliminary round. 

“Fighting bouts as a team is different from doing it individually, and that takes a lot of practice time. As a team, we are less likely to compete outside, but I feel we have improved. We came up with the idea of doing as many hits as possible and trying to narrow the score gap when someone made a mistake," Kusi said. 

“We know that the Pan American Games always feature the strongest countries at fencing, so this allows us to have the necessary contact to know what level we're at. In most combat sports, the only way to make progress is to face a superior opponent. This type of competitions should be the starting point for promoting this discipline in Peru more," she concluded. 

From the first day of the Lima 2019 sports competitions, this massive sporting event has been protected thanks to the Aero-Medical Evacuation System. It operates under a Unified Command made up of the Armed Forces and the Peruvian National Police, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, EsSalud, SISOL, local and regional governments and the private sector. The system ensures that this multi-sport event is carried out in a safe and healthy environment. 

For this reason, emergency care measures have been taken and more than two thousand people have been deployed, along with 60 ambulances, helicopters, airplanes and a network of public and private health facilities, which are alert and prepared in the event of any emergency that may arise during the competitions.  

These aircrafts and helicopters, which have been provided by the Armed Forces and the PNP, have a specialized crew consisting of a pilot, co-pilot, paramedic, doctors and nurses, all certified and experienced specialists in emergency response, disasters and aero-medical evacuation. They will monitor the venues of the Pan American Games: from Huacho, Metropolitan Lima, Bujama, Punta Rocas, up to Paracas. 

Doctor Juan Luis Arce Palomino, a specialist in Emergency Medicine and Disasters who is also the Emergency Medical Services Coordinator of the Games Services Department and Medical Services of Lima 2019, informed, “Although there has not been any major incident so far, these airplanes and helicopters have advanced life support equipment, such as resuscitators, stretchers and medications for assisted transport without complications to patients.” 

He also explained that, besides aircrafts, mobile ground support infrastructure has been deployed, such as advanced medical posts, emergency response teams, mobile units, ambulances and specialized personnel in all medical tasks. 

With this Aero-Medical Evacuation System, it is guaranteed that medical emergencies in the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games will be solved as soon as possible, and that the health of athletes and spectators attending this multi-sports event will be protected in the event of an emergency. 

The closing Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will undoubtedly leave a mark in the memory of each spectator attending the National Stadium on Sunday, August 11. This event is a unique occasion which will place Peru at the heart of Pan American sports and culture. 

Peruvian culture will be the main feature of this unforgettable closing ceremony. The stadium will be the place where the present will connect with two thousand years of traditions and artistic expressions which have had a defining role in the history of Peru.  

In this regard, the National Folkloric Ballet of Peru, official ensemble of the Ministry of Culture, has celebrated its 10th anniversary, and will be in charge of showing Peru's valued cultural roots through a refined and vibrant choreography.  

“We are working hard to give the best of us in this closing ceremony, and we are sure that it will remain in the spectators’ memories. We will put as much effort into it as we did at the Opening Ceremony,” said Fabricio Varela, director of the renowned ensemble. 

He also highlighted that, with this performance, the National Folkloric Ballet ensemble wants to promote the different dances and music that are part of Peruvian culture. 

“We want to convey a feeling of Peruvian pride in our different dances and folkloric art forms, to make the spectators identify with this ancestral legacy that characterizes us as Peruvians,” he said, full of excitement.  

Thus, the Closing Ceremony of the Americas' largest multi-sports event will not only honor the athletes that competed at the Games, but it will also showcase Peru's cultural heritage to the Americas, turning Peru into a hub for Pan American cultural convergence and integration.  

In the first women's match of one of Peru's most representative sports, the team dominated the scoreboard from the beginning. Peru's former volleyball glory seemed to come back to life, thanks to the cheering of the fans who chanted: “I’m Peruvian and tonight we gotta win. ”

The match was held at the spectacular newly-built Callao Sports Center. The final 3-1 score was cheered by the Peruvian fans who packed the grandstands, carrying pennants which read “We’ll all play for Peru”, a paraphrase of Lima 2019 official slogan: “Let’s all play”.

The excitement was justified: it is worth remembering that the last time that the women’s team reached the podium was in 1991, when they got a bronze medal. In total, Peruvian volleyball has earned five silver medals and three bronze medals.

However, it was clear that Peru was going to win the match from the beginning, only facing difficulties in the third set, which the Canadian team won. This resulted in a tense fourth set, where Peru finally saw the match through. 

Revenge in our Court

The victory reached by the team led by Spanish coach Francisco Hervás and consisting of Vanessa Palacios, Ángela Leyva, Clarivet Yllescas, Zoila La Rosa, Maguilaura Frías, Angélica Aquino, Daniela Uribe, Karla Ortiz (captain), Thaisa McLeod, Diana de la Peña, Maricarmen Guerrero y Miryec Muñoz, began the team's way to gold in the best possible way.

Besides, the Lima 2019 match fixture gave the Peruvian team the perfect chance to redeem itself from its Pan American past: in the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto (Canada), it placed seventh from eight teams. Today, luck has a new face.

Next Step

The top two teams of Group A, made up of Peru, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Canada, will advance to the semifinals and face off the top two teams of Group B, made up of Argentina, Brazil, United States and Puerto Rico. 

Peru will face Colombia today at 20:30.

Photo Gallery (click here)