Tuesday, october 24nd, 2023.- Track cycling at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 began with its respective competitions on Tuesday at the Velódromo in Parque Peñalolén. Until this Friday, the best athletes will gather here in search of medals.
Two delegations that have taken a significant step toward that goal are Mexico and Colombia, both of which have advanced to the finals of the team sprint events and are aiming to repeat their gold medal achievements from Lima 2019.
Mexico has advanced to the battle for the gold medal in the female's event, winning the qualification stage with a trio consisting of Jessica Salazar, Yuli Verdugo, and Luz Gaxiola. The final will be against the United States, who finished second with Keely Ainslie, Kayla Hankins, and Keely Ainslie. Meanwhile, Canada and Colombia will compete for the bronze.
Yuli Verdugo stated after the race, "We are very happy. We always come to give our best, and we got the result we wanted. We won't be overconfident, because we will give it our all in the final. We have been racing against the representatives of the United States for a long time. Obviously, they are not weak opponents, and we have to give our all for the gold."
Meanwhile, the Colombian trio composed of Carlos Echeverri, Rubén Murillo, and Kevin Quintero advanced to the final by finishing second behind the Canadian team of Tyler Rorke, Nicholas Wammes, and James Hedgcock. Mexico and the United States will compete for the bronze.
Carlos Echeverri said after securing second place, "We will compete for the gold medal. We have good feelings, and the team is very strong. The weather is favoring us a bit, and we hope that there will be a bit more warmth in the afternoon to loosen up our legs."
The male's sprint finals are scheduled for 6:24 p.m. this Tuesday evening, while the female's final will take place at 7:17 p.m. at the Velodrome in Parque Peñalolén.
Written by Patricio Echagüe and Gonzalo Pérez; translated by Josefina Zamorano / Photosport
Photo by Andres Pina / Santiago 2023 / Photosport
