Friday, November 3rd, 2023.- The Friday session of Pan American athletics, the penultimate on the schedule at Santiago 2023, began with the 800-meter heats, in which the top favorites advanced to Saturday's final without much trouble.

On the track at the Estadio Nacional, where, like on Thursday, the sun reappeared to warm the atmosphere, Rose Mary Almanza was the fastest in the semifinals, with a time of 2'02''87.

The Cuban, a silver medalist at Lima 2019 in this distance and a world relay champion in Chorzow 2021, outperformed Brazilian Jaqueline Weber, who clocked 2'04''70, and Uruguayan Deborah Rodríguez (2'04''70), a bronze medalist four years ago in the capital of Peru.

Behind them, Cuban Sahily Diago (2'05''71), American athletes Brooke Feldmeier (2'06''37) and Brenna Detra (2'06''77), Canadian Addy Townsend (2'06''62), and Chilean of Haitian origin Berdine Castillo (2'07''03) also secured their spots.

At Lima 2019, the gold went to Jamaican Natoya Goule (2'01''26), who did not compete in the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

Written by Felipe Hurtado H; translated by Rocio Rojas / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Dante Fernández / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport