Thursday, october 26, 2023.- Cyclist Catalina Soto gave Team Chile a bronze medal by finishing third in the female's Omnium event, causing a surprise at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

But there was a lot going on during this day for Team Chile. In male’s tennis, Tomás Barrios (ATP ranked 105th) pushed himself to the limit to defeat Jamaican Blaise Blicknell (ATP ranked 426th) in the round of 16 in the individual draw, earning a spot in the quarter-finals.

Also in tennis, the Chilean pair consisting of Alexa Guarachi and Fernanda Labraña secured their spot in the female's doubles semi-finals by defeating the Uruguayan duo of Taly Lucht and Juliana Rodríguez.

In female's indoor volleyball, the Chilean team secured fifth place by defeating Colombia in a closely contested match played in front of a packed crowd at the Arena Parque O'Higgins. Beatriz Novoa, Elisa Sandrock, and Petra Schwartzman were the standout players in the match.

The fortunes were different for females and males beach volleyball. Chris Vorpahl and María Francisca Rivas couldn't overcome the Peruvian duo of Claudia Gaona and Lisbeth Allcca, while the Grimalt cousins fell to Brazil in the semifinals, ending their quest to defend the Pan American title they won in Lima 2019.

The male football team achieved a hard-fought victory over Uruguay with a minimal score, securing a spot in the semifinals. After winning their debut match against Mexico and today's triumph, the Chilean team has accumulated six points.

Lastly, the national female hockey team, known as “Las Diablas," made a strong debut with a 10-0 victory over Mexico, while the female handball team also delivered a 19-15 win against Puerto Rico in Group A.

To conclude, the male doubles pair of Tomás Barrios and Alejandro Tabilo defeated the Colombian duo of Nicolás Mejía and Nicolás Barrientos with scores of 7-6 and 6-0. As a result, the Chilean pair advanced to the semifinals of male’s tennis, where they will face the Costa Rican duo of Rodrigo Crespo and Jesse Flores, with a chance to win a medal.

Written by Ernesto Bustos B; translated by Rocio Rojas / Santiago 2023 via Photosport
Photo by Cristian Soto / Santiago 2023 via photosport