Sunday, November 5th, 2023.- Mexico had a bittersweet ending to their participation in Basque pelota at Santiago 2023, losing to Argentina in the male and female fronton finals after collecting gold medals at the Pan American level in the preceding days.
In the female's event, the duo composed of Dulce Figueroa and Laura Puentes were defeated by the Argentinian pair Maria García and Cynthia Pinto with scores of 15-10 and 15-10. On the male's side, Arturo Rodríguez and Daniel Garcia had to settle for silver after falling to Facundo Andreasen and Alfredo Villegas with scores of 15-8 and 15-2.
After their victory, a delighted Cynthia Pinto stated, "We had lost in the individual fronton on Saturday. Thank God, this time the gold came for us."
Facundo Andreasen added, "We are very happy. This is the best we can aspire to in these Pan American Games. We endured tremendous pressure because we had lost once to this Mexican pair, and we took a sweet revenge. We are leaving here happily."
Despite these defeats, Mexico still managed to win two gold medals in Basque pelota on Sunday, with Isaac Cruz and Jorge Olvera winning the male's frontenis against the American brothers Omar and Salvador Espinoza. In the female's frontenis, Ariana Cepeda and Ximena Placito celebrated a victory against the Cuban pair Daniela Darriba and Wendy Durán.
Elated with the gold, Cepeda mentioned, "I am feeling happy. This is my second gold medal, which makes me a two-time Pan American champion. I am happy to resume my career because 2022 was a very tough year for me, and I genuinely thought it was over. Luckily, I got this new opportunity, and we have made the most of it, winning the 50th gold for Mexico."
As a result, Basque pelota at Santiago 2023 concluded with Mexico being the dominant force in the discipline, earning six gold medals and two silvers, followed by Argentina with two golds, two silvers, and two bronzes.
Written by Patricio Echagüe, José Tomás Lambert y Sebastián Urzúa; translated by Pía Barriga / Photosport
Photo by Pepe Alvujar
