The last day of the Parapan American Games gave us one of the most vibrant Para badminton S6 finals between the Brazilian Tavares and the American Krajweski.

The gold went to Vitor Tavares, who had recently claimed three bronze medals at the Para-Badminton World Championships. Before moving to the final and claiming the gold, Tavares had defeated 2-0 the Peruvian Jesús Salvá, who ended up collecting the bronze.

“It was a very important competition for me because I wanted to obtain the gold medal,” he said.

Miles Krajewski from the USA also received a round of applause from the spectators on the stands, including the President of Peru, Martín Vizcarra, who was accompanied by Carlos Neuhaus, president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee.

“I liked this competition. Vitor is a great player and won the game fairly,” said the American.

At age 14, Miles Krajewski became one of the youngest Para athletes in the Games and proved he is a promising talent in this category. Krajewski came to Lima 2019 with the mission of winning the gold medal and obtain a ticket for Tokyo 2020.  

The most transcendental Para event of the continent closed one of its most emblematic competitions: Para swimming. A set of intense finals were contested in this event, which amazed the public with the swimming skills of the best Para swimmers in the Americas.

The finals of this event had the participation of the delegations from Brazil and Colombia. The Brazilian players snatched eight gold medals. The performance of Gabriel dos Santos was outstanding. He claimed the gold in men’s 100 m freestyle S2 with a record of 2:04.60, surpassing the Chilean Alberto Abarza by four seconds.

His compatriot, Edenia Nogueira, set a Parapan American record of 57:02, winning the gold medal in women’s 50 m backstroke in the S3 category. Likewise, Esthefany de Oliveira set another record of 3:54.66, taking home the gold in 200 m individual medley in the S5 category.

Meanwhile, the Colombians picked up seven gold medals. The participation of Sara Vargas also stood out as she set a Parapan American record of 1:17.00, crowning herself the winner of the women’s 100 m freestyle in the S6 category.

Another exceptional performance was that of Nelson Crispin, who gave his country the gold medal in 100 m freestyle, 200 m individual medley in the SM6 category, 50 m freestyle in the S6 category, 100 m breaststroke in the SB6 category, and 50 m butterfly in the S6 category.

Moreover, the Mexican delegation collected four gold medals. One of the representatives who left his mark in the water was Diego López, who set the record of 45.06 in the 50 m backstroke final in the S3 category.

This way, one of the Paralympic sports that garnered the greatest expectation of the Peruvians at the National Sports Village ended on a high note, demonstrating that there is no impairment that between you and your goals because everything is possible with courage and determination.

Brazil is unstoppable. After the gold medal obtained yesterday in football 5-a-side, Brazil picked another gold in football 7-a-side today after an exciting and vibrant final held at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center.

Although Argentina scored the first goal, the first-half finished with a tie 1-1. Brazil stepped up its game in the second-half and, goal after goal, ended up winning with a score of 5-3.

The stars of the match were the Brazilian midfielders Ubirajara Da Silva, who scored three goals, and Evandro de Oliveira, who scored two. The defenders Pablo Molina and Rodrigo Lucía, as well as the midfielder Nicola Billordo, scored the goals for the Argentinian team.

In the stands, the spectators were also engaged in another competition. Chanting and screaming, the fanbases of both teams never stopped cheering on their favorite, even more so when they scored a goal.

On the other hand, in a match held hours before, the United States dismissed 7-0 Venezuela, taking home the gold medal.

It is worth mentioning that football 7-a-side is a sport adapted for athletes with cerebral palsy and/or traumatic brain injuries, and it follows the rules established by FIFA. This game is played on a reduced field, and teams are made up of seven players, including the goalkeeper. There is no “offside” rule, and throw-ins or rolling the ball back onto the field of play are allowed.