Saturday 4th November 2023.- It was a golden day for Chile. Early in the day, it was the turn of speed skating when Emanuelle Silva secured Chile's tenth gold medal at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

The local athlete won the male's 200 meters sprint at the Patinodromo of the Estadio Nacional, thrilling the audience. Silva competed in the last heat of the event and finished with a time of 17.562 seconds, narrowly beating Mexican athlete Jorge Luis Martínez, who registered 17.566. The bronze medal went to Colombian athlete Andrés Jiménez, with a time of 17.597.

In the afternoon, karate added two more gold medals. Valentina Toro reached the final and faced Cuban athlete Baurelys Torres in the -55kg category. In the battle for the gold medal, Chilean Valentina Toro defeated Torres with a score of 8-0. Fifteen minutes later, Rodrigo Rojas secured another gold medal in the discipline, defeating Brazilian athlete Lucas Fernandes in the +84kg category.

In canoeing, María José Mailliard and Paula Gómez had to settle for silver after an incredible photo finish in the 500m kayak race at Laguna Grande de San Pedro de La Paz. The Chilean duo gave their all in the final meters to catch up with Canadians Sloan Mackenzie and Katharine Vincent, who had a significant lead. Despite their efforts, the victory went to the North American team, who won the gold medal.

The male's football team also had the opportunity to win another gold medal but lost in a penalty shootout. The team led by Eduardo Berizzo, which initially took the lead with a goal from Maximiliano Guerrero, endured a tense 90 minutes, including extra time and a penalty shootout, in which Brazil won 4-2, securing the gold and leaving Chile with a silver medal that felt like a defeat.

In the sport of Basque Pelota, in the rubber ball and 30-meter fronton categories, Chile won bronze in both the male's and female's events. In a dominant performance that established a clear difference, Chilean athlete Rosario Valderrama defeated Cuban athlete Laura Álvarez Prado in two sets to zero, while Renato Bolelli did the same by defeating Cuban athlete Alejandro González with a score of 2-0. The local specialist's merit was that he avenged his earlier loss to the same opponent in the initial rounds on Friday. On Saturday, he won 15-11 and 15-3.

On the other hand, the male volleyball team finished in seventh place, thanks to their victory over Puerto Rico with a score of 3-0.

One of the surprises of the day came from sailing. Chilean sailor Clemente Seguel won the silver medal in the ILCA7 category and secured a spot for Paris 2024, just as the lightning team did, consisting of Felipe Robles, Carmina Malsh, and Paula Herman. In the sunfish category, María José Poncells and Diego González claimed bronze medals in the female's and male's events, respectively.

The female's field hockey team received a consolation prize and won the Pan American bronze. The "Diablas" defeated Canada with a score of 2-0, with Denise Rojas Losada scoring both goals from a short corner.

The male handball team also contributed to the total medal count with a bronze. The local team narrowly defeated the United States with a score of 28-27 and secured a place on the podium for the fourth consecutive Pan American Games.

In rugby sevens, Argentina fulfilled the prediction of winning the gold medal, with Chile taking silver. The Argentinian team had no trouble winning the final against Los Cóndores with a score of 24-5, in a match held at the Estadio Municipal de La Pintana. The standout player for the champions was Alejo Lavallén, who accumulated a total of 19 points.

As the penultimate day of competition concluded, Team Chile had amassed 70 medals at the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023, including 12 gold, 28 silver, and 30 bronze medals.

Written by Ernesto Bustos B.; translated by Vicente Valdivia / Photosport
Photo by Andres Pina / Santiago 2023 / Photosport