Tuesday, October 24, 2023.- The Independent Athletes Team (IAT) achieved their first gold medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023, winning the title in the female's racquetball doubles category on Tuesday.

In a tightly contested match held at the Centro Deportivo Las Raquetas in the Estadio Nacional of Santiago, María Renee Rodríguez and Gabriela Martínez defeated the Argentine pair of María José Vargas and Natalia Méndez with scores of 11-2, 8-11, 14-12, and 11-6.

The winners had previously won silver in Lima 2019, so they were seeking redemption in Santiago. They achieved it in a match they started by comfortably dominating, winning the first set 11-2. However, the Argentine team managed to stage a comeback, tying the score at 1-1.

The third set was the most balanced, and after winning 14-12, Rodríguez and Martínez were able to seal their victory in the fourth set.

Written by Alejandro Pérez - Alex Savoy; translated by Pía Barriga / Photosport
Photo: Felipe Quintana / Santiago 2023 via Photosport