The Peruvian women’s goalball team (a Para sport especially created for persons with visual impairment) ended its first-ever participation at the Parapan American Games with a bang, claiming their first victory in the match against Costa Rica with a 7-0 score. 

The local players, led by Milagros Cotrina, showed real progress even though this Para sport is new for most of them, and they have prepared for a relatively short time as a result. Cotrina, who is only 17 years old, became the top scorer of the Peruvian team this afternoon at the Miguel Grau Coliseum in Callao by scoring four goals against Costa Rica. Milagros was also the Peruvian top scorer at the Parapan American Games with six goals (she also scored once against both Canada and Mexico). 

Another outstanding member of the Peruvian women’s goalball team in the competition, Jennifer Mamani, scored three goals in the 7-0 victory against Costa Rica. After this result, team Peru earned its first three points in the international competition, where they made their debut with great enthusiasm.  

The Peruvian goalball team was created in 2017; a year later, they achieved the third place in South America. They are currently in the fifth position at Parapan American level with an interesting future and promising players such as Milagros Cotrina. 

Erika Inuma, Nicolle Pelayo, Nicole Pérez and Diana Flores were also part of the national team. They all were eagerly supported by the fans in the Miguel Grau Coliseum of Callao, which was especially remodeled for the Lima 2019 Games.  

The semifinals will take place tomorrow, featuring the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. The final match for the gold medal will be played on Saturday. All these exciting events will take place in the Miguel Grau Coliseum. 

TICKETS FOR SALE 

Watch the Americas’ best Para athletes in action at the Parapan American Games by buying your tickets, starting at PEN 10. There is a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens, and people with an impairment. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices of the sports venue and at the 11 authorized points of sale throughout the city. 

They can also be purchased online at lima2019.pe/tickets, where you will find the detailed competition schedules. In the case of e-tickets, printing will no longer be necessary since customers can show their e-tickets from their mobile phones at the entrance of the sports venue. 

More than 600 students and teachers of the N ° 7094 Sasakawa and Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo schools in Villa El Salvador had an exciting day and learned about boccia, a precision discipline that has been designed exclusively for people with cerebral palsy and motor impairment.

The pool stage of this competition started today at the Villa El Salvador Sports Center. Fifty-two Para athletes from 11 countries will compete for the seven medals awarded for this sport.

Young students from both schools attended this sports celebration, thanks to the second stage of the “Soy Lima 2019” campaign. Más de ochenta mil estudiantes se han beneficiado con las entradas solidarias. 

The principal of the Nº 7094 Sasakawa school, Ada Rosa Figueroa, said the Parapan American Games gave her students a life lesson because it allows them to learn about new sports and the Para athletes’ desire to move forward, as well as their struggles, enthusiasm and energy. Thanks to these experiences, students learn to value more what they have and what they can achieve.

The vice principal of the Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo school, Rosa Picho, said that thanks to the Parapan American Games, students are learning to be supportive of people with an impairment. Picho also highlights the sensitivity with them in each of the competitions she attended, which turns Lima into an impairment-friendly city.

Boccia: precision in each movement

It is a Para sport involving strategy and precision that was originally created for athletes with cerebral palsy, but nowadays it is played by people with different physical impairments.

Boccia has four sport classes: BC1 for Para athletes with cerebral palsy and may have a sport assistant to perform actions such as give the ball; BC2 for Para athletes with cerebral palsy who do not require an assistant; BC3 for those with cerebral palsy or a severe physical impairment who are allowed to use a ramp to throw the ball; and BC4 for athletes with non-cerebral impairments who do not require an assistant to throw the ball.

The Peruvian team for the Lima 2019 Games is made up of Dean Acosta, Carlos Cano, Javier Soto, and María Cecilia Pancca.

Boccia players have six balls of different colors (red and blue), and the game starts with a player throwing a white or target ball. A point is scored for each ball getting as close as possible to the target ball, in relation to the rivals.

“Soy Lima 2019” Campaign

The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee developed this initiative from April this year. The campaign has three stages. The first one included visiting many schools in Lima to teach the Olympic and Paralympic values such as equality, inspiration, courage, and determination through activations, socio-cultural activities and the participation of high-performance athletes.

In the second stage, students attend a competition to learn about new Para sport disciplines, so that they inspire more boys and girls, and raise awareness for the future. Also, it builds a society with more opportunities for people with an impairment.

The third and last stage will be the application of the lessons learned from the Pan American and Parapan American Games at the schools.

Since she left her hometown of Puerto Maldonado when she was four, Noemí Vásquez always had to fight adversity. Poliomyelitis paralyzed her lower limb muscles, but that did not stop her from persevering. This afternoon she won the bronze medal in the Para powerlifting -50 kg category in a packed Sports Center and she confirmed that being dedicated was worth it.

Noemí lives in Arequipa with her mother Guillermina, her main motivation to persevere in this discipline. Today Guillermina could not be in the stands cheering her on, but everything was dedicated to her. With tears in her eyes, she remembered all the effort they put in together to make her dream of making it on to the podium at the Parapan American Games come true.

“I feel blessed by God and I cried so much when they confirmed that I had won the medal. It made leaving my mother and my son in Arequipa for four months to train in Lima worth it. She must be very excited because she always encouraged me to keep going and helped me with everything,” Naomi said.

Vásquez won the medal by lifting 40 kg on her first attempt and convincing the judges’ assessment. “During this time, I worked a lot on my technique, prepared psychologically and even followed a meticulous diet. This last week I felt a lot of pressure and even got stressed with the coach’s instructions, but I felt so supported that I went in with a lot of confidence,” she concluded.

You can purchase tickets to watch the remaining Para powerlifting competitions starting at PEN 10. There will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment. You can buy tickets at the ticket booths in VIDENA and at the 11 authorized points of sale located around the city.

You can also purchase them online at lima2019.pe/tickets, where you will find the detailed competition calendar. In the case of e-tickets, printing will no longer be necessary since customers can show their e-ticket from their mobile phones at the entrance of the sports venue.

On August 30, the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games will witness the effort and persistence of the best 67 Para athletes in the continent when they kick off the time trial event in the Para cycling road competition.  

The competition starts and finishes at the Costa Verde venue, which is located near the Av. Sucre entrance ramp. From there, riders will cycle to Pampilla beach in Miraflores, where they will make a U-turn and return to the Costa Verde venue in Magdalena. The route also includes the districts of San Isidro, Miraflores and Barranco. 

It is important to note that the Costa Verde beach circuit and all of its access roads will be closed from today at 22:00 until August 30 at 22:00.  

In this event, in which both men and women compete, spectators will be able to enjoy the sports celebration, see participants up close and cheer them on in their battle to reach the finish line. A total of 47 men and 20 women will participate in this competition. The Peruvian team consists of Job Israel Hilario Rimas and Yuber Pichihua Pérez. 

The Lima 2019 Parapan American Games Organizing Committee provides the following recommendation for the public who, starting tomorrow, will attend this competition venue: 

To enter: 

• All spectators, including minors, must have their tickets to enter.  

• Do not bring bottles, glass containers, unprocessed food, alcoholic beverages, or pets. 

• Arrive at the competition venues ahead of time to avoid overcrowding at the entrances. 

• Everyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.  

• If you are going with a person with an impairment or that has mobility issues, locate the special entrance areas or ask Lima 2019 volunteers for help; they will be duly identified at all the competition venues. 

During competitions: 

• Do not throw objects at the competition road. 

• Do not throw water at the athletes in the case of road sports. 

• Do not interfere with the course in the case of outdoor sports, such as road cycling.  

• When judges ask for silence, keep quiet. Remember that there are sports such as wheelchair tennis that require extreme concentration for their execution. 

Individual Road Race 

The individual road race event will be held on Sunday, September 1. The competition starts at 08:00. Riders will start the course at the Costa Verde venue in Magdalena and, from there, they will go to Pampilla beach in Miraflores, where they will make a U-turn and return to the Costa Verde venue. 

The Costa Verde beach circuit will be closed to vehicles from Saturday, August 31 at 22:00, until September 1 at 22:00, from Av. Universitaria to Av. Huaylas, until the last entrance ramp to Malecón Balta, and all its accesses.

The Hermanos Yaipén will perform their joyful cumbia songs in the closing ceremony of the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games on September 1st at 19:00 at the Athletics stadium in Videna, as explained the creative director and responsible of the event, Juan Carlos Fisher.

“This will be a great concert where we celebrate the human spirit, inspiration, determination, equality courage, resilience and the great effort from Para athletes” said the recognized theater director responsible for the closing ceremony, as the first Peruvian to direct one of the Lima 2019 Games ceremonies.

Carlos Neuhaus, President of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, thanked the artists who will perform in the event and the Para athletes, the special guests of this celebration.

“They are the best example of the accomplishments. They are heroes not only because they overcame challenges, but also because they represented their countries and invested their time in what they could achieve” he mentioned.

He also invited all mayors to set large screens at central squares and shopping centers so everybody can watch the Closing Ceremony.  He also said 53 Parapan American and 5 world records were broken in this edition of the Parapan American Games.

Walter Yaipén thanked the invitation to the ceremony and invited the public the public to dance to their songs.

“I am amazed by the great talent Peruvian people have, including the Para athletes. I am humbled and thankful for them since they show the world they are as good as the cumbia” said Walter Yaipen.

The singer Eva Ayllón will have a moving performance. She will sing a special song when the Lima 2019 Parapan American flame extinguishes. The reggae band, Laguna Pai and We The Lion will also perform in this final event.

The Closing Ceremony will be on Sunday, September 1 at 19:00 at the Athletics Stadium in Videna.

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Two of the most acclaimed Peruvian pianists in the last times, Juan José Chuquisengo and José Luis Madueño will give a free show, included in the cultural program of the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. The duo got together for the first time 20 years ago, in a coincidental meeting, where they joined their respective music fields.

After their acclaimed “Concert on two pianos” presented on May 2 at the Gran Teatro Nacional, the Peruvian pianists make success after success in their combined shows in Peru and abroad. Now, spectators will be able to enjoy this spectacular presentation for free, where the musicians will perform pieces from the music’s greatest, such as Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, as well as Latin American composers.

After a record attendance of over 300,000 spectators during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, the cultural program Culturaymi reopened its doors for the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games on August 24 at the Parque de la Exposición, with a great artistic and cultural offer, which includes famous music and arts celebrities.

The Parapan American Games edition of Culturaymi, also offers room for talented people to show their creativity. Shows will take place at Fun Fest and Milco zones. In addition, there will be activities at the Culturaymi auditorium, the Lima 2019 stage, the Pileta China, and the MALI and MET museums. These stages are all interconnected with the Parque de la Exposición, specially conditioned with braille signage and made fully accessible for people with an impairment.

Juan José Chuquisengo and José Luis Madueño will perform for free at the Fun Fest stage on Thursday, August 29 at 18:30. The show is free!

He used to love futsal when he was a teenager and started practicing sports. His speed called the attention of his coach who encouraged him to practice athletics. Petrúcio Ferreira is today the fastest Para athlete in the Americas and has the world record in 100 and 200 m T47.

The last day of Para athletics in Lima 2019, Petrúcio not only picked up the gold medal in 100 m and broke twice his own Parapan American record, he also won his first gold medal in 400 m, which is not his forte but shows that he is a well-rounded Para athlete.

“I leave quite happy with the two gold medals and after improving my own Parapan American record”. I knew it was going to be hard to improve my marks since I am just in the base period for the Dubai World Championship in November. This was a good training for improving my world record” he told Lima 2019.

That accident to his left arm at his house in Paraiba (northeast of Brazil) left him with a lesson. Two years after the accident he was still strong. Today he is stronger since he is able to achieve great things for his country.

“This happened to me as a child. My father’s mistake did not break me. I grew up adapting to my impairment and today I am happy. I even think that if I had my left arm, I would not be this fortunate. I even get to show the world nothing is impossible”, the world champion added.

Petrúcio added a fourth Parapan American title to his list of two gold medals in 100 and 200 m in the London 2017 World Championship and a Paralympic gold medal in 100 m in Rio 2016. His next goal is to have better the times of the best two Para athletes in the world for T11 and T12. He aims at great things.

The Lima 2019 Parapan American Games have set yet another milestone which makes them the most important Games in history. This has been achieved through a Paralympic-class service provided free of charge in the Parapan American Village (Villa El Salvador), as well as at the VIDENA and the Lawn Tennis Club, consisting of free wheelchair, prosthesis and other equipment repair and maintenance services for all Para athletes and delegations participating in the continental event.

This allows Para athletes to compete in the best possible conditions and do their very best during the competitions. Lima 2019 General Director, Alberto Valenzuela, stated that providing this service has helped Para athletes to break records.

“German company Ottobock, a Lima 2019 partner, provides repair and maintenance services for prostheses and wheelchairs to each of the Para Athletes. (...) all Para athletes of the continent that require assistance with their equipment or prostheses are serviced here free of charge,” he highlighted.

Meanwhile, Ottobock Regional President for Latin America, Marcelo Cuscuna, reported that more than 650 services have been provided to Para athletes during the Parapan American Games so far. “We hope to deliver a total of 800 services,” he added.

“We are providing Olympic-class service. The service provided to Lima 2019 is the same we provided to the Rio 2016 and London 2012 Olympic Games, and it is the same we will provide to Tokyo 2020 next year,” he stressed.

COMPLETE SATISFACTION

The Para athletes that have visited the repair shop have praised the swift service provided and the good condition of the wheelchair, prostheses and equipment serviced in view of forthcoming competitions.

This same satisfaction and pride were expressed by Prime minister Salvador del Solar, who visited the Parapan American Village to share his appreciation and encouragement with the Peruvian delegation participating in the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games.

“We can see how wheelchair and prosthesis maintenance is done. This has only been seen at the Paralympic Games and Peru is providing this at the Parapan American Games. (...) We can proudly say that we are organizing the best Parapan American Games ever, as was the case with the unforgettable Pan American Games,” he concluded.

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VIDENA’s Sports Center 2 experienced a festive ambiance. Lights, colors, music and a fun camera made the start of the Para powerlifting a great experience.

The stage was crowded and had the participation of school students of the Santo Domingo El Caminante school of Manchay.

Brazilian Junior de Franca was the first Para athlete won the first gold medal in this competition that started at 11:00. In addition, he set a new Parapan American record by lifting 141 kg in his second attempt.

“It is really gratifying to carry the gold medal and motivate other athletes,” said the also silver medalist of the Hungary 2017 World Championships.

The previous record was of 113 kg and was set in Toronto 2015 by Colombian Juan Carlos Ortiz, but Junior made an incredible effort to break it. “We're champions of the Americas and we want to keep that title. Today I had a double satisfaction,” he said.

Johnny Morales from Colombia, who was participating for the first time in the Parapan American Games, won silver with 125 kg in his best attempt.

“The gold —Junior— was a little ahead, so I should train more to catch him,” said Morales, who took more than one photo with school students, thanking them for their support. “They cheered for me and everything,” said the Colombian athlete.

The Para powerlifting competition will be held on Saturday, August 31, and if you want to keep watching more competition and supporting Para athletes, you can buy your tickets at the official website www.lima2019.pe and at authorized points sale.

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Peruvian Prime Minister Salvador del Solar Labarthe shared a pleasant and healthy breakfast at the Parapan American Village, located in Villa El Salvador, with members of the Peruvian delegation competing at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. He thanked the athletes for being inspiring role models who did their best to represent Peru. 

Likewise, the Prime Minister encouraged the Peruvian Para athletes who will participate in several competitions taking place in the final days of the most important Para sports event in the Americas. 

“I couldn't miss the opportunity to visit the Parapan American Village, feel the experience of the Parapan American Games more closely and congratulate the Peruvian athletes,” said Del Solar Labarthe after praising the work done by the Lima 2019 team, led by the President of the Organizing Committee, Carlos Neuhaus.  

As he did yesterday at Parque de la Exposición, the Prime Minister added that the Games’ purpose is to make young people reflect on their dreams through the example of the Peruvian Para athletes. Salvador del Solar confessed that, thanks to the effort made at the Pan American Games, the news is more positive now.  

“Once we imagine [our dreams], we can work on achieving them. Once we achieve them, as in these Games, we can celebrate them,” he emphasized. He added that Peruvian Para athletes have won the most important medals and have had their efforts acknowledged because they are able to inspire and raise awareness.  

“[They have] the ability to make us realize that, despite any difficulties, we can pursue a big dream. At the same time, they prevent us from limiting our scope to just talking about people with impairments and inclusion. Even though inclusion is necessary, when we see our Para athletes, we go from inclusion to admiration, which is a more powerful concept,” he stated.   

All the venues of Lima 2019—including the Parapan American Village, which has 336 apartments (of the total 1096) accessible for persons with an impairment—are totally accessible and will be left as a legacy for the community. Part of the accessibility consists of tactile tiles in pedestrian areas and bicycle lanes, to ease the transit of Para athletes with visual impairment. 

Likewise, the buildings also have Braille signage, elevator buttons, spacious inner corridors and 28 elevators to facilitate the transit of people with motor impairment, who need a wheelchair to move around. 

Photo Gallery (click here)