The Para athlete had previously obtained one victory and two losses. Therefore, the Peruvian Para badminton player Jesús Salvá knew that this was his chance to claim the bronze medal in the SS6 category, and he did not blow it.

In a tight match filled with emotions at the Sports Center 3 of the National Sports Village (VIDENA), located in the San Luis district, the Peruvian beat the Canadian Wyatt Lightfoot by 21-14, 14-21 and 21-9 after a 40-minute game.

Salvá even had to recover from a hit in his arm, but the crowd’s support got him to finish off the game. After his victory, he told Lima 2019 he was thrilled with his victory. He considered it a rematch since he had already faced Lightfoot in the quarterfinals of the last Pan Am Para Badminton Championships. “I did it,” stressed the Para athlete, letting go of all the emotion he had kept inside.

“There’s always the pressure that the victory may slip away (from your hands), but luckily I managed to get overcome this feeling and I won,” added Jesús, when talking about the sensations that he went through when his opponent evened the game 1-1.

ON THE ROAD TO TOKYO 2020

He also looked happy and grateful for the support he received from the fans during this decisive match and pointed out that he needs to train hard to obtain a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“I want to be there, and I will be there,” concluded Jesús, another outstanding Peruvian Para athlete who added one more medal for Peru in the medal table of the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games.

On the other side, early on in the morning, our compatriot Pablo Cueto put in his best effort to claim the bronze medal in the SL4 category, with the support of the best fanbase in the world, who did not stop cheering on him from the stands of the Sports Center 3 at the VIDENA and chanting “Peru, Peru, Peru”. Unfortunately, he ended up losing 21-6 and 21-4 after a 17-minute game.