Tuesday, October 31th, 2023.- Santiago Ford was crowned as the decathlon champion at the 2023 Pan American Games, winning the gold medal. This victory marked the seventh gold medal for the Chilean team on the medal tally. Santiago Ford, a Chilean of Cuban descent, participated in ten events over the course of two days, amassing a total of 7,834 points in disciplines such as the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meters, 110 meters hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1,500 meters.
While track and field had its second day of competition, synchronized swimming made its debut at the Estadio Nacional Aquatics Center. The Chilean duo of Trinidad and Soledad García started with a sixth-place finish in their first routine, earning an initial score of 180.3567. The competition will continue on Thursday with medals awarded for the free routine, and on Friday, the acrobatic routine will be awarded.
In table tennis, Team Chile suffered their third defeat in the doubles semi-finals but secured a bronze medal in Santiago 2023, as there is no third-place match. Nicolás Burgos and Gustavo Gómez put up a fight but were defeated in six sets by the Brazilian pair of Hugo Calderano and Vitor Ishiy.
In the female's doubles, Daniela Ortega and Paulina Vega couldn't overcome the American duo of Rachel Sung and Amy Wang, who won four sets to two and advanced to the gold medal match in Santiago 2023. The Chilean pair took home the bronze.
In table tennis, Chilean Zhiying Zeng bid farewell to Santiago 2023 after losing 4-0 to the American Ann Zhang, while Gustavo Gómez was also eliminated in the quarter-finals, losing 4-0 to Brazil's Calderano.
In softball, Chile continued to struggle, suffering their third consecutive defeat in the discipline, losing 13-0 to Venezuela. They had previously lost 8-0 to Mexico and 18-0 to the United States. Chile will now play for the secondary positions in the final stages of the competition.
In female's football, Team Chile secured their place in the final of Santiago 2023 by defeating the United States 2-1 in a match held at the Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar. The Chilean female's team will compete for the gold medal and face Mexico in the final, which will be played on Friday at 8:00 p.m.
In volleyball, the male's national team delivered a victory by defeating Puerto Rico 3-1 in a match in Group B, held at the Arena Parque O'Higgins. The local team will face Argentina on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.
Finally, the male's basketball team couldn't overcome Puerto Rico and lost 70-66. On Wednesday, the national team will face Brazil in Group B.
Written by Ernesto Bustos B.; translated by Andrés Castro / Photosport
Photo by Heuler Andrey / Santiago 2023 / Photosport
