Thursday, November 2nd, 2023.- American athlete Bridget Williams won the gold medal in pole vault at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.

In a closely contested battle with Venezuela's Robeilys Peinado, the North American athlete clinched victory by clearing a height of 4.60 meters on one of her final attempts.

Williams, whose previous international achievements included only reaching the final at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, secured her first international podium finish.

Peinado came very close to winning the gold medal. She led for a significant portion of the competition but was ultimately surpassed by Williams. The Caribbean athlete reached a height of 4.55 meters, confirming her successful year after winning the silver medal at the South American Championships in Sao Paulo, where she cleared 4.70 meters.

These were Peinado's third Pan American Games. In Lima, she narrowly missed out on a medal by finishing fourth, and now in Chile, she achieved silver, marking one of the most significant achievements in her career, which includes a third-place finish at the 2017 World Championships in London.

The third-place and bronze medal went to Cuban athlete Aslín Quiala, who delivered a surprise performance by reaching a height of 4.40 meters, a new personal best for her.

Brazilian athlete Juliana de Menis Campos, the reigning South American pole vault champion, did not meet expectations and had to settle for fourth place (4.35 meters).

Written by Marcelo López; translated by Andrés Castro / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Dante Fernández / Santiago 2023 via Photosport