The supremacy of the Canadian team at artistic swimming stayed intact at Lima 2019. The Canadian duet climbed back on to the top step of the podium for the third consecutive time at the Pan American Games. The duet is made up of Claudia Holzner and Jacqueline Simoneau, true artists on the water.

The Canadian pair scored 180.0343 points in the judges’ overall count, with a high score at the artistic impression criteria as their routine fascinated the audience at the VIDENA Aquatic Center. This is the third gold medal for Simoneau at the Pan American Games, who already won two in duet and octet competitions at Toronto 2015, and the second one for Holzner, who was also part of the Canadian team at Toronto 2015.

Mexican pair Nuria Diosdado and Joana Jiménez won the silver medal scoring 174.3661 points and American pair Anita Álvarez and Ruby Remati won the bronze one with 170.6698 points. “It is indeed special for us to win this medal because we have trained together for over three years and we have a good relationship. We hope to repeat this result next year at the Olympic Games,” said Claudia Holzner.

The modern Aquatic Center was crowded on the two competition days, with the audience applauding all the athletes, who performed beautiful routines in the water. “Peruvian audience has been incredible with all the athletes. After every routine, the audience was full of joy and they shared you a unique energy,” said two-time champion Jacqueline Simoneau.

Meanwhile, Mexican talent Nuria Diosdado pointed out that Mexican sport is living something historic at Lima 2019. “We came here to win a gold medal as well as to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and at least, we achieved one goal. Mexico did not have a good start during the first days of the event, but now we are giving all our best to keep competing,” she concluded.

The final stage will take place at 20:30 with the participation of the eight best octets of the Americas. Peru will participate with a routine to the beat of criollo music. There are still tickets available that you can buy at lima2019.pe/tickets or at any of the 11 authorized Teleticket centers across the city.

Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center hosted the top rugby teams of the Americas, after three days of intense matches. Argentina defeated the two-time Pan American Champion, Canada, after spending 15 minutes surpassing their rivals in every aspect of the match. The Argentinian fans gathered in the grandstands and witnessed the great performance of the “Pumas” with great excitement. 

The Argentinians took the lead from the very beginning, scoring five five-point tries that made it difficult for the Canadians to even the score. The most notable Argentinian players were scorer Luciano Gonzalez and number 10, Santiago Mare, always precise in their conversions and penalties. 

“It was a great match for Argentina, not only because we won the medal that had been denied to us at the last two Pan American Games. Even though they scored a try early on, we stayed focused and finally surpassed them physically and tactically. The tournament was also well organized and we’re grateful for each gesture,” stated Santiago Mare.  

As for the women’s event, Canada defeated the United States for the second time in a row and claimed the gold medal. The Canadian team dominated the match from start to finish with a 24-10 victory.