Wednesday, October 25th.- Uruguay reaffirmed its rowing prowess with the second gold medal at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023. The pairing of Newton Seawright and Martín Zocalo secured the crown in the male's light weight double sculls in the second race on the final day of competitions at Laguna Grande in San Pedro de La Paz. 

The South American duo climbed from fourth place at the start of the race to take the lead in the second half of the 2,000-meter course. Reidy Cardona and Carlos Ajete of Cuba initially led the way but conceded in the final meters, allowing Uruguay to avenge their recent defeat at the Senior World Championships. 

Martín Zócalo, who won bronze, silver, and now gold in Santiago 2023, acknowledged the challenges caused by the race's delayed start due to fog: "We were waiting, ready to go, then not ready, warming up, cooling down, and 40 minutes later, they tell us we have to hit the water. It was all rushed, but things fell into place. We went out to claim the missing medal." 

Uruguay clinched the gold medal with a time of 6:22.07, holding a 1.62-second lead over the Caribbean competitors. In third place were Casey Fuller and Mark Couwenhoven, trailing the winners by 4.63 seconds. 

Meanwhile, the Chilean duo of Brahim Alvayai and Andoni Habash finished in sixth place. 

Written by Nicolás Olea and Gonzalo Villegas; translated by Josefina Zamorano / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Ph: Carlos Acuña / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport