Tarapoto. The Pan American Torch visited Tarapoto's three main districts, surrounded by joy, high expectations, typical dances and dancing in the streets. The Pan American Flame started its journey on July 4, when the first torch was lit in Machu Picchu, Cusco.

All 144 torchbearers that carried the torch this day have a special trait: they all connect the past of their birth places with the joy of the present, with an unbreakable motivation during the 26 km route that lasted eight hours across La Banda de Shilcayo, Morales and Tarapoto districts.

But this is not the only event that will mark the first Pan American Torch relay in Peru. It was also the first of 14 cities where torchbearers with an impairment were included. One of them is 19-year-old Naomi Rengifo Rodríguez.

The visual artist Boris Quintero Viena, the President of Asociación Manos Unidas Myrian Pinchi Dassa, who has been working in social assistance for 16 years, and the teacher from the Instituto Especial 0002 in Moyobamba, Luz Marina Vela, also attended the event. 

The celebration ended with the lightning of cauldron and the speech of local authorities from San Martin.

One week from now, a whistle will be heard at the Sports Center 1 of the VIDENA, signaling the start of the match between the Puerto Rican and Canadian teams. This will be the first match to take place in the women’s handball preliminary round. The competition is scheduled to begin at 13:00. On the other hand, the Peruvian team will make its debut against Dominican Republic at 15:30.

At 18:00. The Argentinian team will go against United States. Brazil and Cuba will not be left behind, as they have a match scheduled at 20:30.

The Brazilian team is ready to defend its title, which they won four years ago in Toronto, after beating the Argentinian team with a score of 29-27 and winning the gold medal.

The women’s events will continue on July 25, 27 and 29. And the finals will take place on July 30 at 20:30.

ARE YOU GOING TO MISS IT?

There are still a lot of matches left between the top teams in the continent, who are trying to secure a place at next years’ Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Get your tickets at www.lima2019.pe/tickets

Here are the schedule details:

Date	Sessions	Time			Match No.	Gender	Phase	Match
July 24	Session 1	13:00	-	15:00	1	Women	Preliminary rounds	Puerto Rico	vs.	Canada
		15:30	-	17:30	2	Women	Preliminary rounds	Dominican Republic	vs.	Peru
		18:00	-	20:00	3	Women	Preliminary rounds	Argentina	vs.	United States
		20:30	-	22:30	4	Women	Preliminary rounds	Brazil	vs.	Cuba
July 25	Session 1	13:00	-	15:00	5	Women	Preliminary rounds	United States	vs.	Dominican Republic
		15:30	-	17:30	6	Women	Preliminary rounds	Cuba	vs.	Puerto Rico
		18:00	-	20:00	7	Women	Preliminary rounds	Peru	vs.	Argentina
		20:30	-	22:30	8	Women	Preliminary rounds	Canada	vs.	Brazil
July 26	OPENING CEREMONY
July 27	Session 1	13:00	-	15:00	9	Women	Preliminary rounds	Cuba	vs.	Canada
		15:30	-	17:30	10	Women	Preliminary rounds	United States	vs.	Peru
		18:00	-	20:00	11	Women	Preliminary rounds	Brazil	vs.	Puerto Rico
		20:30	-	22:30	12	Women	Preliminary rounds	Argentina	vs.	Dominican Republic
July 28	NO MATCHES
July 29	Session 1	10:00	-	12:00	13	Women	5th-8th place qualification round	3rd B	vs.	4th A
		12:00	-	14:00	14	Women	5th-8th place qualification round	3rd A	vs.	4th B
	Session 2	18:00	-	20:30	15	Women	Semifinal	1st B	vs.	2nd A
		20:30	-	23:00	16	Women	Semifinal	1st A	vs.	2nd B
July 30	Session 1	10:00	-	12:00	17	Women	7th place qualification round	P.P. 13	vs.	P.P. 14
		12:00	-	14:00	18	Women	5th place qualification round	G.P. 13	vs.	G.P. 14
	Session 2	18:00	-	20:30	19	Women	Bronze Final	P.P. 15	vs.	P.P. 16
		20:30	-	23:00	20	Women	Gold Final	G.P. 15	vs.	G.P. 16
		23:00	-	23:30	Medal Ceremony

Like other South American athletes, the story of the Olympic champion Thiago Braz is full of sacrifice to reach the top of the world ranking. The athlete, born in Sao Paulo, never gave up and finally broke the pole vault Olympic record in Rio 2016 (6.03 meters) However, he is still looking to make his legend even bigger.

Three years after making that incredible athletics feat, Braz wants to keep jumping and prove his worth, like when he was fourteen and his goal was to represent his country and reach the top of the podium, although he did not have the money to do it.

“It was hard to reach the ideal level to compete against professional athletes from different countries. My first earning was when I was 16, and even if I had the talent and I broke some records, I needed the support of many people to keep competing. It was worth it to persist.”, said the athlete to Lima 2019.

The Brazilian will go for the gold in Lima 2019 Pan American Games. The athletics Stadium of VIDENA will witness the best athletes performances. He will also be competing for the chance of a historic two-times championship by qualifying to Tokyo 2020.

“I can exceed my limits, so I won't give up and I will push myself further. It’s not only about performing well in one competition but in all of them. That’s why I have lots of expectations for the Pan American Games. It's a stage I could test at the South American championship in May," he said.

As a matter of fact, the last weekend Thiago jumped over 5.92 meters at the Monaco Diamond League in France. Although he tried to surpass the 6.02 meters mark, he will still try to break that record this August 10 in Lima. Go watch this and other competitions, buy your tickets at www.lima2019.pe/tickets or at the ten authorized Teleticket points of sale around the city.

ATHLETICS AT LIMA 2019

All track and field events are schedule from August 6 to August 10 at VIDENA Athletics Stadium. This discipline is one of the 21 qualifier disciplines to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. A total of 740 of the best athletes from Americas will be divided into 20 competitions for women and men, while the men’s decathlon competition and women’s heptathlon will be disputed in combined events.

Moreover, on August 4, the 20 km race walking event will take place, whereas the 50 km race will occur on August 11. On July 27 the marathon will start and finish at at Parque Kennedy, Miraflores.

For the first time in the Pan American Flame route across Peru, people with an impairment raised the torch to illuminate us all. Six people participated and became a part of the history of the first Pan American and Parapan American Games held in Peru. 

Tarapoto welcomed the Lima 2019 Games Flame in a very unique way. First, the relay covered a distance of 26 km, the longest to date. There were a 144 torchbearers in total, including qualified athletes, authorities and citizens that do social work. Their stories are worthy of praise. For example, the story of Jorge Coriat, who created a non-profit football school to help children stay on a good path and, as he said, train the successors of Tarapoto native, Miguel Trauco. 

School teacher and second torchbearer, Irma Sangama, also has a life story worth knowing. She had an unfortunate accident while traveling in a mototaxi two years ago that left her in a wheelchair and ended her days of amateur basketball. However, Irma fought against adversity. She had five hip and leg surgeries and is now an example of perseverance to hundreds of students who praise their teacher’s recovery. 

Each torchbearer has a story that makes them worthy of carrying the torch and illuminating Peru, but what was seen in Tarapoto was more than just a beam of light. When Naomi Rengifo, a 19-year-old with an impairment, raised the torch, the flame shone brighter than the sun in her hand. “I’m an athlete, but I also know how to pose,” Naomi said charmingly, next to principal Teodosia Alegría of the Centro Educación Especial 0001 in Tarapoto.

The principal’s dreams came true as six of her students participated in the torch relay of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. Samy Navarro, Temístocles Alegría, Stefano Arévalo, Carlos Manuel Flores, Alessandro Rospigliosi and Naomi Rengifo, who all have an impairment, had the chance to raise the Pan American Torch and be cheered on by those in the Main Square while they danced to songs from the Peruvian jungle, just minutes before the cauldron was lit. 

To add even more joy to the Pan American celebration in Tarapoto, the last torchbearer was Luz Vela Marina, the principal of the Centro de Educación Especial 0002 of Moyobamba. Luz has 44 students and some of them traveled two hours to Tarapoto to hug their principal while she lit the cauldron. In the end, the teenagers with an impairment of the Tarapoto and Moyobamba schools were happy to have played such an important role in this story that began with the arrival of the Pan American Flame.

Photo gallery (click here)

 

Seven days away from the Pan American Games, the beach volleyball stadium and the speed skating track of the Costa Verde – San Miguel venue were officially delivered to their respective national federations. Everything is now ready for the multi-sport celebration to start.

COPAL president, Carlos Neuhaus, accompanied the mayor of San Miguel, Juan José Guevara; the head of the Peruvian Skating Federation, Manuel Veaizan; and Peruvian Volleyball Federation representative, Ronald Herrera, to tour the facilities. The respective agreements were then signed.

“We are encouraging sports in youth with this legacy, which will remain for future generations. The stages are 100% complete and ready to welcome all delegations and prove that we are good hosts. I am so relieved that we have fulfilled this mission,” said Neuhaus.

The infrastructure in Costa Verde is already available to Peruvian team members to complement their training for the largest multi-sport event in the Americas. Beach volleyball will be the first sport to be contested on July 24, with the match between the Canadian and Nicaraguan women’s teams.

“We are happy that Lima 2019 has realized a dream after more than five years. We had many setbacks and difficulties since we did not have a sports facility with the necessary conditions to carry out the speed skating race. Although we have excellent athletes, we had to wait until Sunday to use a bike lane. Now we will start managing our future,” said Veaizan.

COSTA VERDE SAN MIGUEL VENUE

The venue of the district of San Miguel is a partially accessible space with trails, ramps, accessible toilets and seats for athletes and spectators. The capacity in each stage is as follows: BMX circuit (3000 spectators), main beach volleyball stadium (3000 spectators), speed skating track (1000 spectators) and BMX freestyle track (2500 spectators).

Speed skating will be held on August 9 and 10, with the participation of the 40 best skaters in the Americas. Both the women’s and men’s 300 meter individual time trial, 500 meter + distance and 10,000 meter elimination events will be disputed. Bernardo Timothy and Ronaldo Camacho, who participated in the World Rollers Games, are the sole Peruvian representatives debuting at the Pan American Games.

The beach volleyball competition will take place from July 24 to 30, on the two courts in San Miguel. The top 32 duos in the continent will participate in this competition. The system consists of a preliminary round (in a round-robin format and four pools of four teams each), quarterfinals, semifinals, finals and qualifying rounds from fifth to sixteen place.

Alexandra Mendoza and Lisbeth Allca will represent Peru—first place in the U20 South American ranking and fifth place at the 2019 World Beach Volleyball Championships—and will have their first match against El Salvador. Meanwhile, Bruno Seminario and Gabriel Vásquez will be the men’s duo that debuts against the Dominican Republic.

ABOUT LIMA 2019

The Opening Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be held at the National Stadium on July 26, 2019. This continental event will gather 6648 athletes from 41 countries and delegations from the Americas.

There will be 19 days of competitions and ceremonies, between July 24 and August 11, which will take place in 14 districts of Lima and Callao at various venues like VIDENA, Villa María Sports Center, Callao Regional Village, Villa El Salvador Sports Center, Punta Rocas, among others.

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will include 39 sports and 61 disciplines, in which athletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. A total of 21 disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Photo gallery (click here)

 

John Trebejo is one of the best karatekas in the kata discipline. With more than 20 years of experience, he has represented Peru in World, Pan American, Bolivarian and South American Championships.

His latest achievement was at the Series A tournament, held in Montreal, Canada, where he won the silver medal together with Carlos Lam and Oliver del Castillo.

He is now focusing on the Pan American Games.  “We’re training harder each day and, during these four weeks, we’re working double time to do our best in the competition,” said John.  

Teamwork

John, Carlos and Oliver have been competing together for some time. It takes a lot of work and effort to be 100% in sync.

“We continue to learn every day. We’ve had some difficult months that we were able to overcome, nut now we’re united and focused on the same goal,” said Trebejo.

His goal is to win the gold medal, the ultimate prize for any athlete. “That’s our goal. It’s quite a challenge, but we’re ready. We need to achieve this goal,” said the karateka who considers Argentina, Colombia and Brazil as his direct rivals.

Kata competitions are decided by points, just like gymnastics. It is important to note that it does not entail a fight, it is an imaginary fight that must be synchronized and contain techniques that make the difference.  

Karate will be held at Villa El Salvador Sports Center. For John, competing on a new stage and in his home country is a unique motivation. “I’ve only seen the sports center in photos, but I know that the atmosphere we’re going to experience and the dream of signing the national anthem will be indescribable,” he said.  

The kata competition will be held on August 9. Ticket sales can be purchased at www.lima2019.pe/tickets or authorized points of sale throughout the city.

The Pan American and Parapan American village, which will be the heart of the Games as it will accommodate over 9000 athletes and Para athletes during the Lima 2019 Games, has now a mayor. Former athlete Giorgio Mautino was appointed to be the host to the 41 delegations that will take part in the multi-sport celebration starting next week.

Mautino, who was working as a sports advisor in the Operations Department, will welcome the committees in a special ceremony that will start on Tuesday 23 at 10:00, starting with the Peruvian delegation with around 600 athletes.

“Without any doubt, this will be an important role because our main objective is to make our guests feel at home and give them the best impression of our people, our city and our country,” he said.

After attending a tour and a presentation of the modern speed skating rink in San Miguel, Mautino went to Villa El Salvador to supervise the village and its 1096 apartments. He toured around different areas of the Pan American and Parapan American village, such as the cafeteria and the international zone, where various services will be provided to athletes and their guests.

Only 10 days separate the men’s football team from their debut against Uruguay in the Pan American Games. The team, coached by Nolberto Solano,is really excited to play in the stadium of the National University of San Marcos, and make the first step in their journey for the gold.

In a team composed by young athletes, the striker of Ayacucho FC is in charge of scoring goals, but also wants to be an example of generosity in the field, because he is the most experienced player in the team. He waited many years to be called for the national team and now, he is days away from pursuing an unprecedented achievement for Peruvian football.

After working so hard in first division, is this call like a new debut for you?

You could say it is (laughing). I am excited for this opportunity to represent my country. In so many years playing football, I have always tried to look for regularity and in these last seasons, I have had it (with a great score average) and I was given the chance to be part of the Peruvian team.

It is a team with many young impulsive players that will give it all, and you will bring the experience.

I'm ready to give it all too. We are 18 warriors who will give their very best, first to advance to the next stage, and will continue the competition from there. We are really looking forward to the tournament.

Having started training before the other teams gives an advantage?

Planning is always important. We had four short preparation periods (before the Copa America), which helped us play together better. We are going to have an intense preparation to get fully involved in the tournament.

Are you motivated by the possibility that Ricardo Gareca considers you for the senior Peruvian team?

In this team there are many young players who may have a chance later in the other selection processes. In my case, I take it easy. I just have to train hard and perform well in the tournament.

What can we expect about the Peruvian football team at Lima 2019?

The team wants to play great football, controlling the ball, with a strong defense and fast counterattacks. Very similar to how the senior team plays (Nolberto Solano is the technical assistant of Ricardo Gareca). The idea is to keep the identity of Peruvian football.

How do you feel about the Pan American Games?

There is so much expectation. This big competition motivates us. We will share the opening ceremony with other important athletes and as I have seen, it will be great. We know that we will enjoy it.

And add another gold medal to the Peruvian sport record.

That will be amazing. We have a great ambitious team but we need to focus on beating the first three opponents and then we will see to the rest.

Peruvian fans will be with you at the San Marcos Stadium.

Fans’ support of the public will be very important, not only for us but also for all athletes in other disciplines. Cheer for Peru and help us win important awards for our sports.

This is the Peruvian football team calendar:

FOOTBALL AT LIMA 2019

Men’s football competitions at Lima 2019 start on July 29 with matches of Group A: Panama vs. Mexico (10:00)  And Ecuador vs. Argentina (13:00). In the second session, the Group B starts with Jamaica vs. Honduras (17:30) and ends with Peru against the current Pan American champion Uruguay (20:30)

The Pan American Games matches will be governed by the FIFA rules. During the first stage, three points will be awarded per victory and one point per tie. The top two teams of each group advance to semifinals. Ties will be settled with 30 minutes extra-times. If scores are still tied, a penalty shootout will be played.

 

What can we expect about the Peruvian football team at Lima 2019?

The team wants to play great football, controlling the ball, with a strong defense and fast counterattacks. Very similar to how the senior team plays (Nolberto Solano is the technical assistant of Ricardo Gareca). The idea is to keep the identity of Peruvian football.

How do you feel about the Pan American Games?

There is so much expectation. This big competition motivates us. We will share the opening ceremony with other important athletes and as I have seen, it will be great. We know that we will enjoy it.

And add another gold medal to the Peruvian sport record.

That will be amazing. We have a great ambitious team but we need to focus on beating the first three opponents and then we will see to the rest.

Peruvian fans will be with you at the San Marcos Stadium.

Fans’ support of the public will be very important, not only for us but also for all athletes in other disciplines. Cheer for Peru and help us win important awards for our sports.

This is the Peruvian football team calendar:

FOOTBALL AT LIMA 2019

Men’s football competitions at Lima 2019 start on July 29 with matches of Group A: Panama vs. Mexico (10:00)  And Ecuador vs. Argentina (13:00). In the second session, the Group B starts with Jamaica vs. Honduras (17:30) and ends with Peru against the current Pan American champion Uruguay (20:30)

The Pan American Games matches will be governed by the FIFA rules. During the first stage, three points will be awarded per victory and one point per tie. The top two teams of each group advance to semifinals. Ties will be settled with 30 minutes extra-times. If scores are still tied, a penalty shootout will be played.

Every time someone calls him by his name, a slow and kind smile appears across his face. “Margarito, Margarito! Let’s take a picture.” The tallest man in Peru slowly turns to whoever is calling him and poses without any hesitation. 

Dozens of Bagua citizens flooded the streets when they found out that the Pan American torch was passing through the city as its last destination in the Amazon and, most of all, because Margarito Machaguay, the giant man who became famous in the 90s, was one of the torchbearers.

Margarito, Margarito! They keep calling him and he simply smiles. He moves with difficulty. For some years now, his arthrosis has caused him to need an electric wheelchair to get around. At 2.26 meters tall, Margarito used to make guest appearances on comedy shows, starred in commercials and even had a beer bottle size named after him. Now, he works in the Municipality of Bagua, in the office for people with impairments. “I like helping people, and that’s what I do now,” said Margarito Machaguay, accompanied by one of his children, who gently hugs him and helps him get around. 

Margarito Machaguay was selected by his neighbors as a torchbearer of the Flame that illuminates us all. He had a seven written on his shirt, maybe for good luck or maybe it was just a coincidence. Whatever the reason, Margarito did not stop smiling for everyone. Carrying the torch is an unprecedented honor and he is aware of it: “It’s an honor. I like that people recognize me. This is a historic event and I will never forget about it.”

After travelling 100 meters in his electric wheelchair, Margarito completed this honorable task. Surrounded by his loved ones, Margarito Machacaguay reaffirmed his commitment to society. And, although time leaves its mark, his spirit is as young and wonderful as ever.