As a prelude to the Lima 2019 Pan American Games closing ceremony, Peru will experience an unforgettable multi-sport day, seeking to climb in the medal table and claiming a place as a country developing its sport, to end its remarkable participation in these Games.   

In this context, spectators at the Villa El Salvador Sports Center will witness the fierce fight for the gold of the Peruvian karate delegation versus the best teams of the Americas, starting at 09:00. 

In Athletics, the Peruvian team will also be determined to win gold in the women’s and men’s 50 km race walk competition, which will take place in Miraflores starting at 07:00. 

On the other hand, gold, silver and bronze medals will be defined in the women’s volleyball competition, with intense matches between  Brazil, Dominican Republic, Argentina and Colombia. The matches will start at 09:00 at the Callao Sports Center. 

Likewise, the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center will be the stage of various competitions that will test the accuracy and effectiveness of the most outstanding archers of the Americas, starting at 09:00. 

On the other hand, from 11:40 am at Costa Verde, cyclists from various delegations will compete against in a dazzling acrobatics event for the gold medal in BMX freestyle.  

Starting at 11:00 am, at the VIDENA Sport Center 1, the judo preliminary round and final will be held with different events and the participation of Peruvian representatives.  

Finally, golf champions will be defined in the individual and mixed categories at the Lima Golf Club.  

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.

To reach the top of the Pan American Games sometimes you must challenge yourself. This was mostly true in swimming, where the high expectation caused by the competition level of the American and Canadian teams made Brazilians to surpass themselves and fight for a place in the medal table.

It is the case of the Brazilian athlete Leonardo de Deus, three-time Pan American champion in the 200 m butterfly event. He randomly entered the final list in the continental multi-sport event, as the suspension of Gabriel Silva for doping gave him the chance to make history with his team.

Léo de Deus is proud of his military origin as sergeant of the Army of his country. This explains the martial salute he made to his flag at the award ceremony, as did by his teammate Joao Gomes, who competed for hist first Pan American Games, at the age of 33, and conquered the 100 m breaststroke.

Another elite member is Pedro Henrique Spajari, who destroyed the Pan American record with his team in the 4x100 m freestyle relay and defeated the American team lead by Nathan Adrian, multiple times Olympic and world medalist. Spajari overcame a rare syndrome that affected his motor functions when he was 20. As a sergeant of the Brazilian air force, he sang with honor the anthem of his country, from the top of the podium.

“Winning my first gold medal in this kind of competition is really special. We prepared a lot to win this qualification to the Olympic Games, in my case, by overcoming personal problems. In addition, I am proud of representing the Armed Forces of my country because it helped me a lot in my life,” he said.

The first day of swimming was important for Peru too, for the new Peruvian records set by Paula Tamashiro (100 m breaststroke, set in 2008) and Samantha Bello (400 m freestyle). In addition, fans enjoyed Silvana Cabrera´s victory in the 200 m butterfly B final.

Once again, the Pan American Games staged incredible stories of overcoming challenges, stories are a living life lessons for spectators witnessing the achievements of these athletes.

El mejor jugador de tenis de mesa en las Américas, y los seis primeros del circuito mundial, ganó su primera medalla de oro en Lima 2019 . El brasileño Hugo Calderano jugó la final de dobles masculinos junto con su compañero de equipo Hugo Tsuboi y mostró un alto nivel de competencia. Sin embargo, sus oponentes argentinos llevaron a la pareja brasileña a empujarse al límite.

A priori, las diferencias eran evidentes. Calderano, el primer campeón latinoamericano de la liga profesional de Alemania, jugó con su antiguo compañero de equipo contra la pareja argentina formada por Gastón Alto y Horacio Cifuentes , quienes han practicado este deporte de manera amateur durante muchos años. Sin embargo, todo se dejó de lado en el partido.

Los argentinos lo hicieron difícil para el dúo brasileño, pero ganaron fácilmente los primeros dos sets. Asimismo, el dúo argentino lo dejó todo en el campo para igualar el marcador. Incluso en el sexto set, hubo mucho suspenso en la definición, lo que hizo evidente el ingrediente emocional del deporte que solo se puede ver en estas competiciones.

A la edad de 22 años, Calderano obtuvo su segunda medalla de oro en los Juegos Panamericanos . Todavía tiene competencias individuales y de equipo pendientes. A pesar de dedicar todo su tiempo a esta disciplina, realmente valora participar en los Juegos Panamericanos y compartir el espíritu aficionado una vez más en la Villa Panamericana.

“Soy un atleta que comenzó desde cero. Dejé Río de Janeiro a una edad muy temprana para vivir en Europa, pero recuerdo lo difícil que fue para mí llegar a la élite. Es una excelente experiencia para el corazón compartir nuevamente el sueño de destacar en este tipo de competencias con otros atletas que entrenan tanto o más que yo. Este es el caso del equipo argentino. Es admirable ”, dijo Calderano.

Por su parte, el Alto argentino mencionó que aunque son atletas dedicados, tienen el coraje de competir en desventaja. “Entrenamos de seis a ocho horas diarias sin esperar nada a cambio. Este esfuerzo vale la pena cuando llegamos a una final como en Lima 2019 , contra un fenómeno de tenis de mesa como Calderano y yo disfrutamos de ti. Estas son metas de la vida que nos llenan de coraje para seguir practicando el deporte ”, afirmó.

Esta es la verdadera esencia del deporte. No se trata solo de ganar o perder, se trata de dejar atrás todos los esfuerzos para llegar a la cima del podio.

Spectacular jumps and obstacles in the water and ring were performed at the equestrian sports venue in La Molina, where many families gathered to see the best athlete/horse combinations in the continent in the eventing individual (cross-country) and team competitions.

This venue had moments of excitement and tension when the Colombian rider Mauricio Bermúdez fell into the “Titicaca Lake” water obstacle in the cross-country ring.

The Peruvian combination delivered an excellent performance in the ring, and three of four riders qualified. They are Diego Farje with Qouter; Marcelino Cárdenas with Vento, and Juan José Luis Francia with Alpacino Z.

In the team event, the Peruvian representatives also qualified together with the United States, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, and Mexico. The international competition continues tomorrow starting at 10:00 with the eventing individual (jump finals) and team (jumping qualifier) competitions, where medalists will be determined.

The Army Equestrian School has an eventing circuit (cross-country), with 4600 m of new grass.

Besides, the main stage for jumping and dressage: three tracks for competition, warm-up and training, made of silica sand, with a total of 19,500 m2, built according to the standards and requirements of the International Equestrian Federation.

To get more information about the competition schedule and results, you can visit the website: https://www.lima2019.pe/resultados.

Photo gallery (click here)

Eight years ago, a group of five Brazilian Olympic sports fans, native of the northern city of Belem, decided to form a fan club to accompany Brazil on their participation in the Guadalajara 2011 Pan American Games. On that occasion, there was no better idea than to dress up as “Chapulines” to draw the attention of Mexicans. But these “Chapulines” are not red, but yellow-green instead.

Since then, they support the Brazilian delegation in their events when they have free time, but they are particularly fond of the handball team. In fact, they joined the celebrations of the women’s and men’s handball teams after they claimed both Pan American gold medals. They do not want to break the tradition at Lima 2019, which is why they are at the VIDENA Sports Center 1 to root for their team in the women’s finals against Argentina (at 08:30).

“It’s the first time we’re in Peru and we’re having a great time. Part of the club was in Machu Picchu a couple days ago, and we arrived just in time for the women’s finals. We’re staying until the end of the Pan American Games. The fan club is made up of 15 members from different parts of Brazil . We got together because of our love for our national sport,” noted Rubens Tofolo, founder of the fan club.

“We’re regular people who have jobs, but who coincide their vacations to attend major events such as Lima 2019 Games. We’ve also been to world handball championships in our blue or green uniforms,” added Gustavo Cardoso, another member of this club.

The Brazilian “Chapulines” also support other sport disciplines. At Lima 2019, they were also at the Callao Sports Center, in Chorrillos, and at the Villa El Salvador Sports Center supporting taekwondo, weightlifting and gymnastics.

MEN’S COMPETITION

The men’s competitions will go from July 31 to August 5, including the classic match, Brazil vs. Argentina. Both teams feature star players who shone at the last season’s handball Champions League, the sport’s major tournament in the world. The Brazilian pivot Rogério Moraes plays for Vardar from Macedonia, while setter Thiagus Petrus had a good season at the Barcelona from Spain. The Argentinian team features brothers Diego, Pablo and Sebastián Simonet.

Group A is made up of the United States, Cuba, Argentina, and Chile. Peru is part of Group B along with Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the favorite, Brazil. The Peruvian team will make its debut against Puerto Rico, while Brazil will face Mexico. Also, the Argentinian “Gladiadores” will face off the USA.

LIMA 2019 REGULATIONS

There will be a preliminary round with two groups of four teams each that will compete in a round-robin format. After the round robin, the first two teams will advance to the semifinals, where the first and second place of each group will compete. The semifinal winners will fight for the gold medal, while the losing teams will compete for the bronze.

Meanwhile, the third and fourth-placed teams in each group will face off to determine the remaining four places in the qualifying round. Starting in the semifinals, two overtimes will be played for matches that end in a tie after regular time. If the tie persists, the winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.