Sunday, November 5th, 2023.- In an exciting finish, Argentine rider José Augusto Torres secured the gold medal in the Male's BMX Freestyle competition, narrowly edging out Chilean rider José Manuel Cedano by just 0.33 points. The bronze medal was awarded to Brazilian rider Gustavo Batista, while Venezuelan rider Daniel Dhers, the silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, disappointed with a seventh-place finish.

In contrast to the qualifying rounds, where the scores from two runs were averaged, in the final, only the best score counted. Cedano appeared poised to claim the gold when his maneuvers on the ramps earned him a score of 85.67 points.

None of the other seven finalists had surpassed that score until the last rider to hit the course, Argentine Cedano, delivered a performance that earned him a score of 86.00, barely surpassing the Chilean's score.

The local athlete still had his second run to try to regain the top spot. However, he quickly made a mistake that left him with no chance. He even ran the risk of losing the silver, as some competitors still had their second round to go, but none could surpass him. The closest challenger was Brazilian rider Batista, with 83.67.

Further down the rankings were Costa Rican rider Kenneth Tencio, with 80.33, and Mexican rider Kevin Peraza, with 80. A special mention goes to Dhers, who came in as the favorite but couldn't deliver any outstanding runs and finished a disappointing seventh with 49.33 points.

Written by María Fernanda Pavez y Alejandro Pérez; translated by Felipe Vergara / Photosport
Photo by Daniel Apuy / Santiago 2023 / Photosport