Sunday, october 22nd, 2023.- Chilean shooter Francisca Crovetto clinched the gold medal in the skeet shooting competition at the Pan American Games. She emerged victorious in a dramatic tiebreaker against Mexican competitor Gabriela Rodríguez, securing Chile's first gold medal in the tournament.

Both athletes ended the competition tied with 50 hits, and it was in the tiebreaker that the local athlete prevailed, winning 4-3. The bronze medal went to Peruvian shooter Daniella Borda.

This marks Crovetto's fourth Pan American medal but her first gold. She had previously won silver in Guadalajara 2011 and Lima 2019, as well as bronze in Toronto 2015.

The qualifications for the final began yesterday and concluded today with Crovetto in the top spot. Alongside her, the athletes who advanced to compete for the medals were Rodríguez, Borda, Emily Padilla (Team Independent Athletes), American Dania Vizzi, and Brazilian Georgia Furquim.

In the final, the athletes were eliminated in rounds, leaving only Crovetto and Rodríguez. Padilla was the first to be eliminated, followed by Furquim and Vizzi. With that, the remaining shooters guaranteed themselves medals.

Peruvian Borda was the first of the three to be eliminated, securing her spot on the podium. In an exciting finish, Crovetto and Rodríguez ended the final tied, and in the "shoot off," the Chilean prevailed 4-3.

The top two finishers in this competition qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, Crovetto had already secured her place by winning in the skeet shooting at the World Shooting Championships in Azerbaijan in 2023. Therefore, Rodríguez and Borda earned the local quota.

Written by Alejandro Pérez; translated by Vicente Valdivia* / Photosport
Photo by Jorge Loyola / Photosport