Saturday, November 4th, 2023.- María José Mailliard hoped to win a gold medal at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games to cap off her excellent season in international canoeing. However, the Chilean had to settle for two silvers, with the second one coming in a nerve-wracking race alongside Paula Gómez in the 500m kayak event at Laguna Grande in San Pedro de La Paz.

The Chilean pair gave it their all in the final meters, attempting to catch up with the Canadian duo of Sloan Mackenzie and Katharine Vincent, who held a considerable lead. Despite the local effort, the sprint favored the North Americans, who claimed the gold medal with a time of 1:54.26, securing their fourth gold in canoeing.

In contrast, Mailliard and Gómez arrived 0.17 seconds later and had to settle for silver after a review of the photo finish. The bronze medal went to the Colombian pair of Manuela Gómez and Madison Velásquez, who finished five seconds behind.

With these races, nine days of rowing and canoeing activity at the Laguna Grande wetland, located 500 kilometers south of Santiago, come to a close. This scenic location is protected as a natural sanctuary in the Biobío Region and provided a spectacular backdrop for the open-water events at the Pan American Games.

Written by Gonzalo Villegas y Nicolás Olea; translated by Pía Barriga / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Carlos Acuña / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport