Sunday, october 29nd, 2023.- Ecuadorian cyclist Jonathan Narváez won the road cycling event at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games in a closely contested finish that also awarded silver to the Argentine Eduardo Sepúlveda and bronze to the Uruguayan Eric Fagundez.

The sportsman completed the 157.7-kilometer circuit with a time of 3 hours, 37 minutes, and 56 seconds, while the second and third-place riders recorded the same time (3:37'56").

Chilean cyclist Martín Vidaurre, despite lacking experience in road cycling, finished very close to the podium group but narrowly missed out on a medal. Other local riders finished in the following positions: Héctor Quintana (13th with a time of 3:46'16"), Vicente Rojas (19th, 3:47'07"), and José Luis Rodríguez, who had won bronze in Lima 2019, withdrew from the competition.

Vidaurre, who had already won a gold medal in mountain biking, expressed his disappointment at not securing a spot on the podium. He said, "I'm very angry because I had everything to win a medal. I lacked experience. I'm here to learn, and I'm new to road cycling, but I tried my best. I had many cramps from the fifth lap, but I kept going and came very close. Look at all these people! Tremendous support was there to give them the medal, and it's a great pity not to have achieved it."

Jonathan Narváez displayed a strong performance during the nine laps of the circuit, which passed through the streets of Baquedano, Santa María, and Andrés Bello Avenue, as well as an ascent and descent of Cerro San Cristóbal. His compatriot Richard Carapaz, who had recently won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and was considered a favorite, did not meet expectations and finished in seventh place (3:38'02").

"We are happy for this victory for Ecuador. We gave our best, and we are very pleased. I'm happy to win in Chile. Very grateful to everyone who supported us," commented Jonathan Narvaez after crossing the finish line, the top finisher in this event, which started with 44 cyclists but only 36 completed.


The road cycling event, both in female's and male's categories, was attended by a large crowd that gathered on the streets and routes within the Parque Metropolitano on Cerro San Cristóbal.

Written by Marcelo López - Paula Vivanco; translated by Andrés Castro / Photosport
Photo by Marcelo Hernandez/ Santiago 2023 / Photosport