The participation of these two promising athletes during the Pan American Games Closing Ceremony was also a commitment to the future of Peruvian sport.

As part of the protocol, the Panam Sports President, Neven Ilic, awarded the last two gold medals. The first one went to Romina Ariana Baltazar Miñan, who competed in judo at age 14. She claimed the title in her category at the School Championships. At the South American School Championships, she took home the individual silver and team bronze medals.

The other medal was for Carlos “Nano” Fernández, who won in the U-15 table tennis category at the ITTF World Junior Circuit.

“Nano” Fernández obtained medals in all South American categories (U-11, U-13, and U-15), and has also won the gold and silver medals at Latin American level (champion in U-11 and runner-up in U13 and U-15).

They are two promising stars of Peruvian sport ahead of the next Pan American Games, Santiago 2023.

The President of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic, highlighted that “in Lima 2019 we had the greatest Pan American Games in history.”  

“You did everything right. When we started  15 days ago, we dreamed of hosting great Pan American Games, and today I can tell you we made it happen. We had the greatest Pan American Games in history,” stated Ilic during the closing ceremony at the National Stadium. In addition, Neven Ilic awarded gold medals to the athletes of the future.  

In front of an enthusiastic audience that had crowded the grandstands, the Panam Sports President pointed out that these Pan American Games have started a new page in the history of this institution and of sports in the Americas. 

The sports authority insisted that these Games should not be just a celebration lasting 15 days, because now Peru will keep the greatest legacy in history and has the chance to keep growing; there are no obstacles now, as it has great athletes and top-level facilities. “Today we can start writing a new page of a glorious Peru,” he added. 

He pointed out they are leaving Peru with their hearts full of admiration, affection, and gratitude for the way they were treated. Peru opened its doors and made every participant feel like home. He added that it was an honor for Panam Sports to hold the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. 

He also expressed his gratitude to every person who was part of this project, giving a special acknowledgment to the thousands of volunteers who stole the show. 

“Peruvian athletes were up to the task, and the best fanbase in the world was up to the task too because they filled up the stadiums. Thank you for making this an amazing celebration,” added Ilic.  

The curtain of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games came down with a great show.  The Closing Ceremony featured Peruvian singer Gian Marco, who presented a spectacular show before 50 thousand people at the National Stadium and 400 million of viewers around the world. The audience had the chance to listen to the charango during “Lejos de ti”. 

Everybody will remember this show as when he performed his hit song “Hoy”, the crowd started singing along. It was a chorus of 50 thousand voices singing “Hoy voy a verte de nuevo, voy a alegrar tu tristeza, vamos a hacer una fiesta pa' que este amor crezca más”. It is worth mentioning that Gian Marco is an artist loved and followed by thousands of fans. 

Since the party could not stop and everybody wanted to keep enjoying this show, the artist continued with another of his hits, “Sácala a bailar”. This song’s music video features Natalie Vértiz and had over 20 thousand views a few hours after its release. 

Of course the Peruvian music could not be left aside. Gian Marco sat down on the stage closer to his fans and ended his performance with the song “Contigo Perú”. The attending audience sang at the top of their lungs clapping and clapping. Little did they know the singer had another surprise prepared for them. After the show, they all left the National Stadium absolutely amazed. 

More than 50,000 spectators in the National Stadium and 400 million viewers worldwide enjoyed the unforgettable evening produced by the organizers of the Closing Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. 

A magical evening full of Peruvian flavor was experienced in this ceremony, called “Dance of Diversity”, ending the sports celebration that brought the Americas together. Creative director Nikos Lagousakos, the talented production team of Lima 2019 and the prestigious Italian company Balich Worldwide Shows, world leader in the live entertainment industry, were responsible for this event. 

All began with a parade where all the athletes gathered to walk around the National Stadium field, led by the Peruvian delegation and their medals. At the same time, the 41 flags of the Americas were shown. The flagbearer for Peru was Gladys Tejeda, gold medalist in marathon.  

The spectators and athletes were thrilled to see a millenarian Peru represented in the Peruvian dances which quickly became the stars of the show. The dances were arranged by Fabricio Varela, director of the National Folkloric Ballet, featuring 955 artists on stage, including 893 volunteers. 

Pepe Corzo, garment and props designer, oversaw the creation of 1,000 eye-catching costumes, which amazed spectators at the closing ceremony. 

The music for the big farewell event was carefully selected by composer and arranger Lucho Quequezana, the musical director. 

The musical section, called Adios, Lima (Goodbye Lima), told a love story, with elements of the Peruvian dance Marinera, but in an unprecedented manner. The extinguishing of the Flame was portrayed by a dance couple and the memories of their love story were shown in the form of beautiful pictures.  

Underneath a spectacular chandelier of handkerchiefs, the couple performed the last part of their story. The female dancer blew her handkerchief to the air and the Flame died out. But just like a love that never ends, the Pan American Flame reappeared over them, transformed into a shiny chandelier, ready to come back to life in 2023. 

Chile, which will be home of the Santiago 2023 Pan-American Games, took over as the next organizer of the Sports competition. Three of their best-known musicians performed at the closing ceremony: the Chilean duo Power Peralta, of brothers Gabriel and Raúl Peralta, and singer Francisca Valenzuela.  

The ceremony paid tribute to the Peruvian jungle. The jungle soundscape called back all the cast and the most impressive work of Amazonian plastic artists was shown. 

The audience at the National Stadium was delighted with the performance of Naysha and her amazing skill with the charango, a small Peruvian guitar. DJ Shushupe got all the participants dancing to her colorful rhythm as the ceremony came closer to its end.  

The headline show was led by Peruvian singer-songwriter Gian Marco. He delivered a spectacular performance and a surprise for the live and TV audiences of the Closing Ceremony of the Pan American Games.  

He first performed Lejos de ti (Far from you) and closed with Contigo Perú (With you, Peru). This heart-touching song was the surprise of the evening; the audience could not help but let their emotions out. 

Photo Gallery (click here) 

The President of the Organizing Committee of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games (COPAL), Carlos Neuhaus, recognized the incredible achievements obtained by the athletes that were part of this huge sports event that made Lima the new Sports Capital of the Americas.

In the Closing Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, held at the National Stadium, he said that we should acknowledge the strength, speed, skill, nerve, ambition and commitment of the athletes, but also their humbleness in the victory and their dignity in the loss. “Athletes of the Americas, you've shown us how to live and compete with the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect,” said Neuhaus.

When he thanked all the participants, he stressed this competition has provided our country with the best venues, worthy of the best world athletes and ready to be used by our youth. They will be the future sports champions, our golden generation.

In the emotional closing ceremony, Neuhaus thanked all the contributors that made this Games a success, especially the large and wonderful team of volunteers that made us all feel proud.

He added that Lima 2019 foresees a future full of opportunities for Peru because our country welcomed the most outstanding athletes with open arms, regardless of their nationalities, putting the world’s spotlight on us.

The COPAL president said these days helped us learn that sport can inspire our communities and trigger a transformation capable of changing our lives.

“We learned that, when the aspiration and strength meet, we can do great things. Thank you, Peru. These were your Games. This is your legacy. Go Peru! Let’s all keep playing,” concluded Neuhaus.

The Pan American Games have ended, as well as the competitions that thrilled us for 19 days. Fabrizio Zanotti made history for Paraguay by winning the first gold medal for his country, the last one delivered in Lima 2019.    

USA was, just like in Toronto 2015, the country that won the most gold medals. The USA team won 120 gold, 88 silver and 85 bronze medals, for a total of 293 Peru has achieved 120 gold, 88 silver and 85 bronze medals so far, totaling 293 medals. 

Brazil placed second with 171 medals gold, 55 silver and 71 bronze medals.  

The Peruvian team took the ninth place with a total of 39 medals, a historic record for the country in the Pan American Games, with 11 gold, 7 silver and 21 bronze medals.  

Countries winning their first medals in the Pan American Games, beside Paraguay, were: Bolivia in racquetball thanks to Conrrado Moscoso and the brothers  Roland and Carlos Keller. On the other hand, Chantal Malone won the first medal for British Virgin Islands in the long jump event and Jamal Peters did the same for Grenada in javelin throw. 

A true sport celebration took place at the Miraflores district where thousands of people went to enjoy the men’s and women’s 50k race walk competition of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

Despite the cold weather, 24 athletes⁠—14 men and 10 women⁠—started the competition at 7 o’ clock. The start and finish line were in Av. José Larco, near the Miraflores municipality. Athletes then went up to Calle Tarata, turned and returned on the same street up to Óvalo de Miraflores, they gave 50 laps.

The public arrived early to watch the outdoor competition, which was free of charge, and to cheer up the Peruvian and foreign athletes. By not taking their pets, or throwing bottles or other objects into the circuit, the attendees strictly respected the security measures provided by Lima 2019.

In this way, they proved to be good hosts and to be able to keep a behavior according with the high level of competition developed during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. They cheered the Peruvian team formed by Yoci Caballero Huamán, Evelyn Inga Huaynalaya and Luis Henry Campos Cruz by chanting “Peru, Peru”.

Even when they tried hard, the Peruvian women were no table to reach the podium and ended in seventh and eight position, respectively. The Peruvian male athlete had to abandon the competition due to fatigue.

Even when this was the first time the female athletes competed in the 50k event, 9 reached the finish line. By contrast, only five men finished the competition. On the women’s side, Ecuadorian Johana Ordoñez won the gold medal, Guatemalan Mirna Ortiz won silver, and Ecuadorian Paola Pérez won bronze.

In the men’s event, Ecuadorian Claudio Villanueva obtained the gold medal, Mexican Horacio Nava and Colombian Diego Pinzon picked up the silver and bronze medals, respectively. The public celebrated and respected all athletes during the competition.

“Women, fight for your dreams”

Kimberly Garcia, silver-medal winner in the Lima 2019 20k race walk competition, was there as a spectator and highlighted the high quality of her teammates, the effort that their training demands and the commitment to represent Peru. “They are good athletes and I hope they do well and improve their times. 50 kilometers are not easy,” she said before the competition started.

To the girls and women who now follow her with more attention, she invoked them to do their utmost to achieve their dreams. “Practice some sports, because it teaches you to be persistent, disciplined, brave, to never give up and to never let anyone treat you as if you were less than them. If you have a dream, fight for it until the end,” she mentioned.

Milco’s dance

All celebrations deserve a dance, and Milco, the mascot of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, made all the public dance to the catchy Peruvian cumbia “cariñito”. The public sang the song while watching the competition on Av. Larco. Children and families took pictures with Milco, showing him their affection. Thus, the Lima 2019 Pan American Games competitions were brought to an end.

Ecuadorian athletes shined once more in the Lima 2019 race walk event. In the cold morning of Miraflores, two more triumphs were added to the gold medal won by Daniel Pintado in the 20 km event held on August 4. Claudio Villanueva and Johana Ordóñez dominated the 50 km race and, both, got emotional with the achieved victory while crossing the finish line with their flag.

Villanueva’s dedication was touching. Twelve years ago, his father disappeared while hiking the mountains of Cajas, in his native city of Cuenca and, until now, his whereabouts are unknown. His eternal memory has strengthened the Ecuadorian race walker in all of his races, and these Pan American Games were not the exception.

“My family is my greatest strength. Each time I fall, I get motivated to keep moving forward because I remember my missing father and each time my son moves, as he has cerebral palsy. And to my father, is you are alive, this gold medal goes to you; but if you are no longer amongst us, look after me always from heaven,” mentioned the champion.

Then, Johanna Ordóñez, who also trains in the training base of Cuenca, won with comfort in the women's category. In this event, the Peruvian Yoci Caballero finished seventh beating her personal record of 4h 31m 33s and ended with tears in her eyes, due to the moving support from the crowd.

“I have mixed emotions. I am grateful for the cheers of the people, many who I do not know, but I would like to hug everyone; however, I am also sad because I could not give a medal to my country. The gold medal I take with me is that after so much time I reunited my family (they were between the spectators), after so much time apart,” mentioned the Peruvian athlete.

There are many stories like this one in sports. We need to value each person’s efforts. It is not about winning or losing in life.

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Two weeks ago, she did not have the ID that certified her Peruvian citizenship so she was unable to be part of the judo national team. Nevertheless, the paperwork was fast tracked and Yuliana Bolívar was able to obtain her citizenship and participate in the Pan American Games.

Born in Venezuela and having represented her home country in ODESUR, she decided to apply for Peruvian citizenship and, today, she claimed the bronze medal for Peru in the +78 kg category.

“It’s bronze but it feels like gold. I’m so grateful and this is the beginning of many accomplishments. I’m proud to represent Peru, because many people worked to get this medal,” claimed Yuliana.

It was a tough match. Her rival, Kina Cutro-Kelly from the US, was a difficult obstacle. When the judge penalized her for a third time, Yuliana cried and covered her face with emotion. “I couldn’t believe it because I worked so hard and I left many things behind; the medal is very valuable,” she stated.

The VIDENA Sport Center 1 filled with applause and it became a special moment.  “Feeling the celebration from the Peruvian audience that has adopted me is very special to me, because neither my parents nor my family are here,” mentioned Yuliana.

“I did not expect to feel so much support, I feel happy. When I received the medal, I cried again because I saw people screaming my name, and it’s very special to see Peruvians and Venezuelans united in supporting an achievement for Peru,” she added.

But this does not end here; this is the first step for Yuliana. “To achieve your dreams you need to be convinced of what you want and right now my mind is focused on Tokyo, God willing,” concluded the medalist.

Carlos Neuhaus, president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee (COPAL), ruled out that the first-rate infrastructure built for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games would be privatized, during the closing press conference of the Games, held in the Main Auditorium of the Press Center, in San Borja.

Neuhaus said that work is being done to find the best way to allocate a budget for the next few years, for the maintenance of all the sports venues where our athletes and future athletes will train.

“There’s no licensee; nothing is going to be privatized. There are people interested in undermining the success of the Pan American Games who are saying that the infrastructure is going to be privatized. We will find the best way to generate enough income for their self-maintenance,” he emphasized.

Neuhaus gave as an example the renovated San Marcos stadium, one of the venues of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, as the university itself will take care of its maintenance.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Oncethe Pan American Games had concluded, Neuhaus thanked all the athletes for their presence and the media for their amazing coverage that made it possible for the Games to be seen all over the world.

The president of COPAL acknowledged that the great challenge was transportation but, despite this, all the athletes arrived at their venues on time with the help of a team of international and national experts, who solved issues as they emerged.

He also said that the Lima 2019 organization is completely willing to support Chile with the execution of the next Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

He said that he has already spoken about with the president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, who is in Peru and that he has also met with Paoline Kanto, minister of Sports of Chile.