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)

Expectation has grown regarding the 16th competition day of the most important multi-sports event in the Americas. The Peruvian team wants to reach the podium after playing the final round of the double sculls rowing event, which will feature the best rowers in the continent.   

The competition will start at 09:00 in Albuferas de Medio Mundo, Végueta-Huaura.  

Meanwhile, the Peruvian wrestling delegation is due to compete in the quarterfinals against the tough Dominican Republic and Cuba teams to qualify for the final and thus seek a gold medal. The competition will be held at Miguel Grau Coliseum in Callao.  

Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil and other countries will also face off in the ring. One of the main attractions will be Lima 2019 Ambassador Thalia Mallqui, who will participate in the 50 kg freestyle event. 

Another highlight will be the second competition day of women’s volleyball, where the Peruvian team led by Ángela Leyva will be going up against Colombia in the evening. Prior to that, Brazil and Argentina, the ‘South American Derby’ will face off at the Callao Sports Center at 13:00. 

JUDO STARTS 

Judo competitions will start at VIDENA Sports Center 1 at 15:00. The best judokas from the Americas will compete for the gold medal, among them Argentinian Paula Pareto.  

Additionally, the most successful fencers will take part in vibrant bouts for the gold in different events, singles and teams, at the Lima Convention Center, starting at 9:00. 

On the other hand, at the VIDENA Aquatic Center, outstanding swimmers will test their performance in the swimming finals, which offer a wide range of styles. 

At the VIDENA Athletics Stadium, the most successful athletes in the Americas will show the results of their physical training for the Games as they face the athletics events' finals, including the 400m hurdles, 1500m, hammer throw, jumping, among others. 

Last, but not least, in the disciplines of women’s basketball, equestrian, golf, hockey, Basque pelota, water polo, racquetball, softball, table tennis, archery and sailing in Paracas, various delegations will face each other to ensure their qualification for the tournament's final stages. 

It was his first time at Lima 2019 and he was one of the most cheered athletes. Award-winning American swimmer Nathan Adrian jumped into the pool of the newly-built VIDENA Aquatic center to compete in the 4x100m relay; however, he only managed to win the silver medal.  

“I’m happy because water means home to me, and I think that, no matter the result, it’s a good beginning for Team USA,” Adrian said after the medal ceremony.  

Lima 2019 are Adrian's first Pan American Games, which he regards as a really good experience. “You have the Village experience, other sports, the dining hall and that’s as close as you can get to the Olympic Games.”  

“There are things in life more important than winning medals and, when you are into sports, you learn to overcome the losses and adversities,” said Adrian, who was diagnosed with a serious disease last December .  

With the medal and his cuchimilco in hand, Adrian could not stop smiling and praising the souvenir. “I really love it, this guy looks very nice, it’s special.”  “I like Lima, everything has been really cool,” Adrian said about the Games organization. 

Nathan Adrian will compete in men's 50m and 100m freestyle. He will also take part in men’s 4x200m freestyle relay with Michael Chadwick, Grant House and Drew Kibler, and mixed 4x100m medley freestyle relay with Michael Chadwick, Anne Lazor and Kendyl Stewart. He will also compete in men’s 4x100m medley relay with Daniel Carr, Matthew Josa and Cody Miller, as well as mixed 4x100m medley relay. 

Foto: Marca

People’s support during the last relay was essential for Peru to pass their opponents —with some key strokes— and reach the third place in the heat. This entitles Peru to compete at mixed 4x100 freestyle relay final at the VIDENA Aquatic Center.

Jessica Cattaneo, Sebastián Arispe, Mckenna Debever and Ricardo Espinoza placed Peru right behind Brazil and Canada clocking a time of 3.39.76. They set a new national record in mixed 4x100 freestyle relay final for one second.

“I thank all people who are coming to cheer on us, people who have never seen a swimming competition before but they feel identified because they are Peruvians, it’s amazing,” said Jessica.

“We’ve broken the national record, and we’re so happy,” added Sebastián, who set the previous record of 3.40.17 together with Mckenna Debever, Nicholas Magana and Andrea Cedrón in March 2016.

Mckenna Debever, who barely speaks Spanish, was the last in the relay and said: “people’s support, in a stage I really love, was amazing.”  

Finally, Ricardo Espinoza said: “more than qualifying, we wanted to set a new record, and we did it for a second.”

The Peruvian team will try to reach the podium tonight at 10:07 against Bahamas, Argentina, Canada, Brazil, the USA, Mexico, and Venezuela.

A perfect match: the 41 athletes competing in road cycling gave their all, and the spectators cheered enthusiastically while also behaving in an orderly manner and respecting the competition circuit, which went from San Miguel to Chorrillos.

In addition, the Peruvian National Police (PNP) was present in the area from the early morning to control traffic flow due to the Costa Verde closure and to guide drivers on which alternative routes to take.

The combination of these three elements resulted in a clean, trouble-free competition, complying fully with the road closure plan and the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee recommendations.

Starting at 8:00, spectators began to arrive all along the Lima coast to watch one of the road sports featured at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, which requires significant effort and physical endurance. The access descents to the circuit were well signaled by the organizers, and volunteers were always ready to guide people on where to go for the best views of the competition.

At 9:45, 20 female cyclists began the Individual time trial event, starting and ending at the Costa Verde San Miguel venue. The athletes cycled along 18.5 kilometers, going through six districts on the route: San Miguel, Magdalena, San Isidro, Miraflores, Barranco and Chorrillos, with spectators cheering and clapping throughout.

Two and a half hours later, at 12:15, the 21 male cyclists began this event, which ran along the same course as the women’s event, with a total of 37 kilometers.

The women's event was won by American Chloe Dygert, who recorded a time of 23:36.51, while the men’s race saw Daniel Martínez Poveda come first with a time of 44:22.17.

To provide better service to the spectators, the Games organizers arranged transportation for wheelchair users, taking them from Parque Media Luna (San Miguel) to the competition venue and back.

Individual Road

The individual road event will be held on Saturday, August 10. The women’s event will start at 9:00 and will include 33 competitors who will cycle along 79.8 kilometers (six laps) on the circuit between the Costa Verde San Miguel venue (start and end point) and Pampilla beach in Miraflores.

Recommendations

The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee has some recommendations for the spectators who will be supporting the athletes during this competition:

• Do not throw objects to the competition track.
• Do not throw water at the athletes.
• Do not interfere with the marathon circuit.
• Do not bring pets because they could run away and interrupt the competition.

It is also worth mentioning that, on the two competition days, access will be restricted for beachgoers and individuals carrying bicycles.

Over the years, female athletes have brought many victories and a great deal of happiness to their countries with their outstanding results in several disciplines.

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games are no exception, as female athletes have given top-class performances, making their countries very proud.

This multi-sports event has a total of 6452 athletes from 41 countries: 3480 men and 2972 women. In other words, male and female athletes make up 54% and 46% of the total, respectively.

In terms of individual delegations, Paraguay is the country featuring the largest proportion of women at 65.8%, followed by Canada at 58.75% and Haiti at 57.1%.

Women’s presence in the Peruvian delegation is also very significant. The Peruvian National Team comprises 593 athletes: 311 male and 282 female. This is to say, men and women make up 52% and 48% respectively.

Conversely, Suriname is the country with the smallest women’s delegation, as females only constitute 14.3% of the total.

Regarding the number of female athletes per delegation, the largest figures belong to the largest delegations. Namely, the USA has 313 female athletes, while Canada and Mexico feature 281 and 248 women, respectively. At the other end is the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines delegation, which only features one woman.

As for sports disciplines, athletics features 296 women, followed by swimming (156), football (144), hockey (128), handball (112), volleyball and basketball (96 each), artistic swimming (80), weightlifting (62), beach volleyball (32) and bodybuilding (16).

The proportion of female athletes per discipline is as follows: 100% in artistic swimming and rhythmic gymnastics, 50.4% in karate, 50.2% in football, 50% in volleyball, beach volleyball, basketball and bodybuilding, 49.6% in weightlifting, 47.1% in athletics, 32.8% in boxing, among others.

Peruvian Female Medalists

Peru has performed well at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games after reaching the podium in several disciplines and picking up medals in women’s events.

The first woman to win a gold medal was Gladys Tejeda, after an impressive marathon on Saturday, July 27. She was followed by Kimberly García, who took home the silver medal in the women’s 20 km race walk.

Another winner is Marcela Castillo, who scored 7.530 in women’s taekwondo poomsae, reaching the silver medal.

On Sunday, July 28, Ariana Vera claimed the bronze medal in mixed pairs taekwondo poomsae, together with Renzo Saux. In mixed doubles tennis, Anastasia Iamachkine also won a bronze medal, together with Sergio Galdós.

Natalia Cuglievan won the fourth gold medal for Peru at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. The water skier bagged the gold medal in the trick event after an exciting final, held at Laguna Bujama.

Another win for Peruvian female athletes was in surfing, as 17-year-old Daniella Rosas won the women’s open surfing event after defeating Ecuadorian Dominic Barona. Daniella scored 13.93 points, while her rival only managed 12.50.

As for silver medals, these went to Vania Torres in SUP surfing and María Fernanda Reyes in longboard.

International Female Medalists

International female athletes who have won medals include American Bethany Sachtleben, who claimed the silver medal in women’s marathon, while Colombian Angie Orjuela Soche was awarded with the bronze medal.

In water skiing, American Erika Lange won the silver medal and Canadian Louise Rini Paige managed to get the bronze.

Weightlifting saw Dominican Beatriz Piron clinch the gold. In artistic roller skating, Brazilian Bruna Wurts picked up the gold medal. The triathlon gold medal went to Lusia Baptista, also from Brazil. In shooting, Cuban Laina Pérez and Ecuadorian Andrea Pérez were awarded with gold and silver, respectively.

In bowling, American pair Stefanie Johnson and Shanon Okeefe clinched the gold, while Mexicans Iliana Lomeli and Miriam Zetter managed to get the silver medal.

Female athletes have proved to be outstanding sports achievers at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, which are being held in Peru until August 11.