They are Para athletes, examples of self-improvement, and share the responsibility of being Lima 2019 Ambassadors. Their mission is to promote sports, Olympic and Paralympic values.

Dunia Felices, Pedro Pablo de Vinatea, Israel Hilario and Pilar Jáuregui embody the Pan American and Parapan American Games values, such as excellency, friendship, respect, courage, determination, equality and inspiration. 

The four ambassadors continue filling us with emotion and today they will be participating in their disciplines and earning more victories for Peru. Dunia Felices will compete today in 200 m freestyle at the Aquatic Center of the National Sports Village (VIDENA). Pedro Pablo de Vinatea and Pilar Jáuregui will continue competing in Para badminton, collecting more medals for Peru; while Israel Hilario took the victory in Para cycling road today in the Costa Verde beach circuit.

The Organizing Committee of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games (COPAL) developed the Ambassadors Program to promote the sports, Olympic and/or Paralympic values through outstanding athletes and Para athletes and different communication platforms.

But, who are these outstanding athletes? Get to know them a little more:

Dunia Felices

Dunia Felices was appointed as Lima 2019 Ambassador because she is the best example of a hard-working athlete. She never gave up and, thanks to that, has achieved all her objectives since the beginning of her sports career.

The Peruvian Para swimmer won the silver medal in August 2017 at the Medellin Para Swimming Open in Colombia.  Dunia, who was born in Sarhua, Ayacucho, set a time of 1.44.39 in 50 meters butterfly.

She also claimed three gold medals at the Barranquilla 2018 Paralympic Open in 50 m and 100 m freestyle, and 50 m butterfly.

At the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games, she won a bronze medal thanks to her outstanding participation in the women's 50 m butterfly final round, category S5 (S1-S4).

Pedro Pablo de Vinatea

This Lima 2019 Ambassador is a good example of dedication and strength. Badminton has always been his passion: after losing one of his lower extremities, he continued practicing this sport until he became an excellent athlete.

Pedro Pablo worked hard and won the gold medal at the 2014 II Athletics & Swimming Open Championships held in Medellin in 2014 (Colombia).

The Peruvian Pedro Pablo de Vinatea made a great debut at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games, after beating 2-0 Brazilian Roso in the Para badminton competition.

Israel Hilario

Israel is a great Peruvian Para cyclist, whose goal was always to keep going and break down barriers. It is an example of life. After losing his leg in a motorcycle accident, he decided to continue pursuing his goals.

Hilario claimed the Para cycling world title and was crowned as the best cyclist at the World Cup, both events organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the highest cycling organization in the world.

His last competition was at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where he carried the Peruvian flag. In this event, he placed sixth.

Pilar Jáuregui

For Pilar, there were never any limits. She tried out different sports such as volleyball, surfing, basketball, tennis and badminton until she was 14 when she was affected by an illness.

Since that moment, everything changed for the better because badminton allowed her to bring out her ability and passion for sports.

She was recognized as the best Para athlete of 2018 by the the Americas Paralympic Committee and won three gold medals at the Pan Am Para-Badminton Championships 2018 in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

They are worthy ambassadors, with great social and human sensitivity, recognized for their great achievements, who seek to live in a society based on the values of sport and respect.

They will stay true to the Peruvian flag in the different competitions in which they participate at Peruvian and international levels. They will always be an example of effort and dedication for new athletes.

It is worth mentioning that a total of 1890 Para athletes from 33 countries will be in Lima until Sunday, September 1, competing in 17 sports and 18 disciplines at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. This event also provides a direct ticket for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

At the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games, Pilar Jáuregui made her debut with an important 2-0 victory over American Amy Burnett (21-4, 21-0). This is her first Group A match in the WH2 category (wheelchair).

In the four days that Dunia Felices competed in the Parapan American Games, she managed to gather so many people in the Aquatic Center that she was moved to tears. In the audience was the president of COPAL, Carlos Neuhaus, who gave the Lima 2019 ambassador a hug once the event had ended.

Neuhaus witnessed Dunia’s dedication during the years she spent preparing for the Games. So, he went down to the competitors’ area to praise her effort, unaware that an amusing incident was going to take place.

“Just as I was going back to the competitors’ area, I ran into Carlos Neuhaus and, while he was praising me, a Colombian swimmer came up to us and congratulated me. I didn’t understand anything because I thought I’d finished fourth. That’s when Carlos hugged me and said he brought me luck,” stated Felices.

Regarding her performance this evening, she said: “I knew that in the 50 m butterfly I could win something, despite feeling more comfortable in long distance events. What does move me is the unconditional support of the audience. Despite everything, they came these four days. This medal is for you too,” she said.

Dunia confessed she evolved in some respects: “I improved my race finish. I even pushed harder in the last 25 meters, despite taking a while to hit the water; but I still have many years to correct that. This is my second year competing and I know you don’t become an athlete overnight. That’s why experiencing something like Lima 2019 is so important,” she added.

After the Parapan American Games, the Para swimmer will compete at the World Championships in London. She will participate in four events, but she will focus mainly on 50 m butterfly, as well as 200 and 100 m freestyle. “I will focus on these three styles to reach the qualification times for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,” she concluded.

CHEER HER ON FROM THE STANDS

Tomorrow is Dunia’s last day of competitions. You can buy tickets starting at PEN 10. There will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment.

You can purchase 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.

The Aquatic Center exploded with the applause of fans as they energetically cheered for Dunia Felices. The Para swimmer gathered over two thousand spectators once again and, this time, they witnessed her first medal at the Parapan American Games in the 50 meter butterfly final, class S5 (physical impairment). This event is not her specialty but she gave it her all.

Although the Peruvian finished fourth, she benefited from the disqualification of Mexican Patricia Valle, who had arrived third at the finish line. However, the judges concluded she had committed a technical irregularity, which favored Dunia who finished with a time of 1:02:23 in her third consecutive final at Lima 2019.

Felices stood on the podium alongside Brazilians Joana Silva (gold) and Esthefany de Oliveira (silver). She will be back in action tomorrow starting at 09:15, in the event which she considers to be her best: 200 meter freestyle. She has great expectations for this competition and the Peruvian public will definitely be by her side.

CHEER HER ON FROM THE STANDS

You can buy tickets to Dunia’s last competition 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 in the ticket booths at VIDENA and 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.

The 14-year-old Peruvian Para athlete Rodrigo Santillán has made his dreams come true so far after winning bronze in the 100 meters backstroke S2 event tonight. Peru won its first medal in this discipline and the seventh at the Parapan American Games. The venue for swimming has been one of the most crowded in Lima 2019.

Santillán already had an outstanding performance yesterday, when he finished fourth in the 50 meters backstroke event, only a hundredths away from the podium. This event was a lesson learned for the Peruvian Para swimmer to improve technical aspects tonight.

A polyneuropathy brought Santillán closer to swimming, when he was only twelve years old. That healing method to treat the limb motor impairment made him stronger and now he is a talent in Peruvian sport. Rodrigo reached the third place on the podium with a time of 2:35.27, improving his qualification time of 2:58.14.

Santillán competes again in the preliminary heats of the 50 meter freestyle on Friday at 22:52. The Peruvian athlete will look for a new final. Additionally, Santillán will finish his participation in Lima 2019 with the 100 m freestyle final on Saturday, at 19:07.

CHEER HIM ON FROM THE GRANDSTAND

To the see the other competitions of Santillán, you can buy tickets with prices start at PEN 10. There will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens

and people with an impairment. Tickets can be bought at the ticket office of the VIDENA and at the 11 points of sale around the city.

Tickets can be also purchased online through lima2019.pe/tickets, where you will also find the competition schedules. 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.

It is hard to measure the verve that Dunia Felices puts into Para swimming with the Lima 2019 results. It is that dedication that allows fans to identify, in her, the desire of our Para athletes to stand out in an event of the highest level, such as the Parapan American Games.

In fact, the Lima 2019 Ambassador swam in her second final at the VIDENA Aquatic Center and managed to improve aspects in the 100 m freestyle event. “I’m happy because I improved several technical issues. I don’t know if you saw me smile, it was because I was able to do a flip turn, which I’ve been practicing for a month, and that helped me to slide better in the water and improve in the last meters,” she added.

Dunia finished seventh in the event, with a time of 1 minute, 49 seconds and 66 hundredths, more than two minutes faster than the morning preliminaries. “It feels amazing to have the public on my side. Hearing my name and my country’s name has given me a great energy and I value that, because some people even told me they have missed work to come and see my competitions. I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Dunia.

The Para swimmer will still compete in the 50 m butterfly and 200 m freestyle events, and she has put all her expectation in the last one. “I’m more of a long-distance swimmer, so I believe I will do better in the 200 m freestyle event. I might be able to reach the first places and improve my personal records. This experience is very useful to me, since I am very new at this type of events that allow me to improve my performance,” she mentioned.

In addition, she points out that the Parapan American Games will be a vehicle for inclusion. “Lima 2019 has helped to raise awareness on our society about us, so that private companies realize that we can work together to improve the conditions of people with impairments in sports. This is a starting point for this process to continue and we enhance the level of Para sports,” she concluded.

CHEER HER ON FROM THE GRANDSTANDS

To attend the competitions where Dunia will be present, you may purchase your tickets starting at PEN 10. There will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment.

 Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices in VIDENA 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-ticket from their mobile phones at the entrance of the sports venue.

Daniel Dias was only 15 years old when he found a source of inspiration for his sports career. After he watched the Paralympic performance of his compatriot Clodoaldo Silva at Athens 2004 on TV, the best Para swimmer in history decided he would follow Silva’s steps in the water. But he never imagined that, a decade later, he would surpass the six gold medals of his idol.

Since then, nothing got in Daniel’s way, not even a congenital deficiency on his upper and lower limbs. He trained hard and, two years later, he was already on the podium at the 2006 World Cup in Athletics in South Africa. So far, he has claimed 14 Paralympic gold medals (from Beijing 2008 to Rio 2016), 30 Parapan American Games gold medals (from Rio 2007 to Toronto 2015), and 30 world titles. A huge collection of awards!

In fact, he won his third gold at the Lima 2019 Games this afternoon, after earning the victory in 100 m freestyle (S5 category for people with physical impairment). The Brazilian Para swimmer left all his opponents behind right from the start. Dias climbed to the top of the podium in 50 m freestyle and backstroke.

“You end up losing track of all the awards you win in the water. What really makes me want to improve in this sport is my love for my children. I want to show them that, if you work hard, you can exceed your own limits every day and overcome any obstacles. You just have to believe everything is possible,” said Daniel Dias to Lima 2019.

At just 31, Daniel does not know when he will retire from the big Paralympic leagues. For now, he wants to close out this cycle that finishes with Tokyo 2020 on a high note. That is why he keeps pushing himself to the limit. The Brazilian takes great pride when people call him the “Michael Phelps of the Paralympic Movement” in a clear reference to the best swimmer in history.

“It’s an honor to be compared to a swimming legend such as Phelps. I grew up looking up to him and, when I started to gain attention, my goal was to promote this Paralympic sport. Only God knows if I’ll make it to 100 gold medals. I still have to compete at the London 2019 World Cup in Athletics and at Tokyo 2020. So, let’s just take it one step at a time.

To top it off, Dias also won the famous Laureus Award, which is considered the Oscars of sport, in 2009, 2013 and 2016. An award that has only been given to sport legends such as Roger Federer, Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Pelé, Ronaldo, among others.

DO NOT MISS IT OUT

Daniel Dias will compete tomorrow in 50 m butterfly, starting at 17:30, and on Friday in 200 m freestyle. If you want to see this swimming legend, buy your tickets starting at PEN 10.00. There will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment. Get your tickets at the ticket booth of the VIDENA or at the 11 authorized stands around the city.

Tickets can be also purchased online on our website lima2019.pe/tickets, where you will also find the Sports Calendar with detailed competition schedules. 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.

The Parapan American Games are in their final stage and this long weekend, which starts on August 29, will be the best chance to enjoy the last days of the event that has left a permanent mark in Peru’s sports history.

The experience of watching the competitions will, of course, be a win-win: our Para athletes will have the warm support of the public, while the public will be filled with motivation and pride when they see them triumph.

Guide for the Long Weekend

There are several Para sports that you can experience as a family, inside the impressive competition venues that, after the Games, will remain as a legacy for all Peruvians.

The competitions include the women’s wheelchair basketball semifinals, which will take place tomorrow with Canada versus Brazil and USA versus Argentina, in Sports Center 1 of VIDENA, starting at 18:30.

The boccia competition will take place during the morning session in the Villa El Salvador Sports Center, between 09:00 and 15:00. The Peruvian team will be competing thanks to Dean Tierry Acosta, Carlos Cano, María Cecilia Pancca and Javier Soto.

Boccia—an adaptation of the ancient Italian game ‘bocce’, played since the times of the Roman Empire—is just as much a sports event as it is a cultural one. Take part in these competitions from Thursday, August 29, to Sunday, September 1.

During the weekend, a good option is to cheer on Peruvian representative and flagbearer, Angélica Espinoza, in Para taekwondo (Miguel Grau Coliseum, Callao). The women’s and men’s competition, as well as the qualifiers, will take place this Friday and Saturday from 09:00 to 13:00. The medals will be decided on Friday and Saturday, starting at 15:00 until 20:00.

Another interesting option is wheelchair tennis. The defining matches will be contested starting tomorrow at Club Lawn Tennis de la Exposición, with the participation of the best tennis players in the world, such as Argentinian Gustavo Fernández. The winners will be decided between tomorrow and Friday, the final day of this Para sport.

Peruvian Support

Other Peruvians who need our support are Dunia Felices, Rodrigo Santillán and Harrison Linares, who will compete in Para swimming (VIDENA) until August 31, as well as the well-known and beloved Lima 2019 ambassadors, Pedro Pablo Vinatea and Pilar Jáuregui, who will compete in Para badminton (VIDENA) and will fight for the gold from August 29 to September 1. The competitions will take place in Sports Center 3 of VIDENA, with a good chance that our Para athletes will make it to the podium.

Another good option is goalball (Miguel Grau Coliseum, Callao), the only sport created specifically for people with a visual impairment. Support our fellow Peruvians until Saturday during two daily sessions (10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 20:00). The ranking will be determined in the men’s semifinals, starting tomorrow.

Buy Your Tickets

Tickets for Lima 2019 Parapan American Games competitions can be purchased at the points of sale located in the Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco and Metro and Wong supermarkets in the districts of Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco. 

You can also get your tickets on the Lima 2019 website www.lima2019.pe or Teleticket website https://teleticket.com.pe/lima2019.

Tickets start at PEN 10 and there will be a 50% discount for people under the age of 18 and over the age of 60, as well as people with an impairment.

Additionally, if you live in one of the districts where a Lima 2019 Parapan American Games sports venue is located, you can purchase general tickets for the various competitions for only PEN 5.

All you have to do is show your DNI at the ticket booths of the venues in Callao, Villa El Salvador, Villa María del Triunfo, San Luis, San Miguel, Santiago de Surco and Jesús María.

In his debut at the Parapan American Games, and being the youngest of the delegation at only 14 years old, Rodrigo Santillán Cruz was close to win a medal at the Para swimming competition of 50 m backstroke S2. 

The Peruvian finished fourth place with a time of 1:14.17, only 18 hundredths away from the bronze medal, which was taken by the Brazilian Gabriel Dos Santos in the final against Santillán. The Para swimmer had qualified to the final in the morning with a time of 1:13.27.  

The youngest athlete of the Peruvian delegation competes with a motor sensory polyneuropathy, an illness that decreases the capacity to move or feel due to neurological damage.  

Santillán is a student of the Juan Guerrero Quimper school located in the district of Villa María del Triunfo. This was one of the educational institutions toured by the “Soy Lima” campaign, where the students learned about sport values and the development of the Pan American and Parapan American Games in Peru. His school was also granted with free tickets to watch the competitions of the Parapan American Games and, therefore, his classmates were cheering on him from the grandstands of the Athletics Stadium during his performance. 

Rodrigo has three more competitions to reach the podium in his debut at the Parapan American Games. Tomorrow, he will compete in 100 m backstroke S2 (S1) starting at 19:00 at the modern Aquatic Center, which is considered one of the best in the world by the competitors themselves. On Friday, the Peruvian Para swimmer will participate in 50 freestyle S2 (S1) and will finish his participation on Saturday 31, with 100 freestyle S2 (S1).  

TICKETS FOR SALE 

Buy your tickets to witness the best Para athletes of the continent perform at the Parapan American Games. Prices start at PEN 10.00. Also, there will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment. Tickets can be bought at the ticket booth in VIDENA (Gate 1 and Gate 10) and at the 11 authorized points of sale around the city. 

Tickets can be also purchased online through lima2019.pe, where you will also find the Sports Calendar with detailed competition schedules. 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. 

Around 50 children from the Miguel Grau school, located in San Luis, arrived at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games venue wearing the national soccer team jumper and watched every detail of the competitions at all times. They had the chance to enjoy some Para swimming events held at VIDENA’s modern Aquatic Center. 

These students came to event very early properly uniformed and in a very orderly manner to watch the performances of the continent’s best Para athletes. They were able to enter the venue thanks to the more than 35 thousand tickets provided to 57 schools in the Lima Metropolitan Area and Callao, in order to give children the chance to enjoy the different sports disciplines included in the sports program of the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. 

Students from San Luis were part of the campaign “Soy Lima”, where they learned a lot about sports values. Thanks to this campaign, 35,140 tickets were given to 57 schools: 22,121 tickets are for competitions during the daytime and 13,019 will be for competitions held in the evening.  

Therefore, students must be accompanied by their teachers, parents and/or personnel from the Regional Bureau of Education of Lima (DRELM) and Regional Bureau from Callao (DREC).  

Hopefully, this initiative will be an important experience, so that the paralympic values, such as courage and determination, become their motivation for young Peruvians. In addition, we have to remember that even though the path to success takes a long time, it is always possible to achieve our goals with dedication. 

However, they were not the only students that attended the Para swimming competitions. Students from the Liceo Naval and Hiram Bingham and also from the Santo Domingo de Manchay school came to the Aquatic Center in order to watch the high-performance Para sports like Para swimming, where the Peruvian Rodrigo Santillán who participated in 50 m backstroke.  

Photo Gallery (click here) 

A few years ago, Sara Vargas’ life completely changed when she met her current coach, Stevens Ruíz, while competing in short stature tournaments in Bogotá. Since then, the Para swimmer followed a process that led her to qualify for the Lima 2019 Games and become the youngest Para athlete in the history of the Parapan American Games with achievements that astonish everyone. 

Even though her growth problem prevented her from gaining stature, her ambition always remained intact. This is her first major international event and she has already collected two medals and set Parapan American records.  Yesterday she surprised the spectators by winning the silver medal in the 400 m freestyle event and tonight she amazed her fans after winning the gold medal in the 50 m butterfly event in class S6.  

“I can’t explain how I feel. I still can’t believe it. I am thrilled with my first gold. Even though it was not my best time, I set a Parapan American record. I’m determined to improve because my biggest goal is to succeed at the Paralympic Games," said the new Para swimming star, who achieved better records in international events this year. 

Sara will compete in the 100 m backstroke and freestyle events, as well as in the 50 m freestyle competition and she is focused on reaching the podium again. Her coach says that we will see more of this Colombian Para athlete who impresses sports lovers. 

“Colombia has a swimmer for at least two more Olympic cycles at the highest level. She has an exceptional talent because she is also demanding and disciplined. We are preparing her integrally so that the pressure does not overcome her. There are not many Paralympic competitions in the world, so she even competes against swimmers who don’t have an impairment to perfect her skills,” said Stevens Ruíz.  

Sara Vargas will compete again on Thursday 29 at 17:18. To see her compete, you can buy your tickets starting at PEN 10. There will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices in VIDENA and in the eleven authorized points of sale throughout the city. 

Tickets can also be purchased online at lima2019.pe/tickets, where you will also find the detailed competition schedule. 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.