The Chilean Mariana Zuñiga secured her first qualification to the Paralympic Games after beating the American Teresa Wallace in the semi-finals, and thus taking one of the two Paralympic slots that the competition was awarding.

With this qualification already in the pocket, Zuñiga went out to dispute the finals, where she showed off all her talent and international hierarchy to prevail over Canadian Karen Van Nest, with a score of 144 to 135, winning the gold medal and also beating her own record in the championship.

She also added: “To be the first person in my discipline to qualify from Chile to this event means a great responsibility to me. From my point of view, it will open doors so that many other teenagers and adults with a disability may experiment and join this sport”.

Upon asked about the medals and records obtained in Mexico, she assured that “I feel very happy with my performance during the entire tournament. I realized about many things during the road, and I feel that these became tools that allowed me to reach where I am, materializing in the obtained medals. Records fill me with joy and strength for what’s to come.  I am also incredibly happy and satisfied with the work done in mixed teams, because I know that this also represents a milestone for Para archery.