Thursday, october 26nd, 2023.- In a series that was only decided in the last match, and in a very tight manner, the Mexican female's team defeated Argentina 2-1 and secured the Pan American gold medal for teams for the fourth consecutive time in racquetball.

Furthermore, Paola Longoria earned her second gold medal in Santiago and her eleventh in her career, three in each of the previous Games (Guadalajara 2011, Toronto 2015, and Lima 2019).

In contrast, Argentina has seven lost Pan American finals, including three in Santiago 2023, where, in addition to this loss, they were defeated in female's doubles and mixed doubles.

This Thursday, at Centro Deportivo de las Raquetas at Estadio Nacional, it seemed that Argentina's luck could change, after María José Vargas surprisingly defeated the world's number one, Montserrat Mejía, in the first match with relative ease, 3-0, with scores of 11-5, 11-9, and 11-9.

Both of them had already stood on the podium in other disciplines in this continental event. Mejía had won a silver in singles and a bronze in female's doubles, while Vargas had won silver in female's doubles and mixed doubles, and bronze in singles.

In the second match, the great Mexican legend, Paola Longoria, who had already secured a gold in Santiago by defeating her compatriot Mejía in the singles final, stepped onto the court. She did not disappoint, as she defeated Argentina's Natalia Méndez with scores of 11-6, 11-7, and 11-9.

Thus, the final was decided in the doubles, where the Mexican pair, Mejía and Alexandra Herrera, defeated Méndez and Vargas 3-0, with scores of 14-12, 11-7, and 11-5.

Longoria did not play in this final, and it was clear in the first set, where the South Americans led 9-4. But Mexico managed to recover and ultimately asserted their greater experience to conclude a remarkable performance in these Pan American Games.

Written by Alex Savoy; Translated by Felipe Vergara / Photosport
Photo by Dragomir Yankovic/Santiago 2023 / Photosport