Saturday, November 18th, 2023.- Spectacular. That word defines what Team ParaChile achieved on the first day of medal delivery at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games.

The local delegation set a goal to win at least 10 gold medals in the multisport event they are hosting, and this Saturday, that objective seems within reach because the host country has already secured five gold medals.

Para Table Tennis brought the most joy to the host country, as Luis Flores in Class 2, Maximiliano Rodríguez in Class 4, Tamara Leonelli in Class 4-5, and Florencia Pérez in Class 8 all became champions.

But that's not all, as the multi-champion Juan Carlos Garrido did not disappoint, claiming the top spot in Para Powerlifting by lifting 195 kilograms in the -72-kilogram category. Not only that, but he set a Pan American record, surpassing the 190 kilograms lifted by Colombian Jainer Cantillo in Toronto 2015.

In addition, Chile won four silver medals with Javier Jiménez in the -59-kilogram category of Para Powerlifting, and para table tennis players Cristian González (Class 4), Ignacio Torres (Class 6), and Manuel Echaveguren (Class 10).

Finally, there were four third-place finishes, again thanks to Para Table Tennis, through Vicente Leiva (Class 1), Matías Pino and Cristián Dettoni (Class 6), and Armin Rosas (Class 11).

Written by Carlos Silva Rojas; translated by Paulette Bertín / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Dragomir Yankovic / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport