Monday, October 30th, 2023.- Table tennis continues its development at the Pan American Games at the Centro Nacional de Entrenamiento Olímpico in Ñuñoa, where in the mixed doubles event, the Cuban pair composed of Daniela Fonseca and Jorge Campos clinched the gold on Monday.

The islanders pulled off the surprise of the day by defeating the Brazilian team of Bruna Takahashi and Vitor Ishiy in the final. The Brazilians had been on a dominant streak, advancing through stages to reach the gold medal match.

However, Fonseca and Campos halted the South Americans in their tracks in the final, winning with game scores of 11-8, 11-6, 11-7, and 11-7 to earn Cuba's twelfth gold medal at Santiago 2023.

Ecstatic with the gold around her neck, Fonseca stated, "I didn't think we would play so well in the final. The Brazilian pair is very strong in the rankings, but we played our hearts out, and the result showed."

Meanwhile, Campos affirmed, "We made history. It's Cuba's first Pan American gold medal since Indianapolis '87. We also secured a spot in Paris 2024, so we're closing a perfect day."

On the Brazilian side, Vitor Ishiy commented after the loss, "Achieving a silver medal for Brazil is a significant achievement. These are my first Pan American Games, and it feels really good to achieve this. We have to keep going; we secured a spot in Paris 2024, and the goal is to aim for the best possible result."

With this medal, in table tennis, Cuba solidified its position in sixth place in the medal standings at Santiago 2023, with a total of eleven gold, six silver, and seven bronze medals.

Written by Patricio Echagüe - Leslie Castillo; translated by Rocio Rojas / Santiago 2023 via Photosport
Photo by Javier Vergara / Santiago 2023 via Photosport