Monday, November 20th, 2023.- The United States won 54-36 against Brazil in the third round of wheelchair rugby at Santiago 2023, a discipline held at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos at the Estadio Nacional. 

In one of the best matches of the competition, the North American team (gold medalists at Lima 2019) had to showcase a significant portion of their prowess to secure the victory, keeping them undefeated ahead of the preliminary phase match against Canada. 

From the start of the match, the teams showed no mercy, engaging in a highly tactical duel with many defensive fouls due to physical contact. 

The first and second quarters were highly contested, both ending 13-9 in favor of the Americans, who sealed the victory with a convincing 18-8 in the third quarter. The final period ended in a 10-10 tie, resulting in a final score of 54-36. 

Brazil had a lively crowd, known as "movimiento verde amarelho a torcida do Brasil," which continued to cheer despite their team's defeat. 

Charles "Chuck" Aoki of the United States, considered one of the best players in the world and the scorer of 20 points on this Monday, expressed being "quite surprised by the growth of rugby in Latin America. Brazil was a tough opponent in the first two quarters. We're not thinking about Paris 2024, but that's our goal." 

Julio César Braz was Brazil's top scorer with 10 tries. 

Wheelchair rugby will conclude its participation next Thursday, the 24th, with the medal matches, always at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos at the Estadio Nacional, the country's main venue. 

One of the most important rules of this sport is the 40-second possession rule established in 2008 to prevent teams from wasting time. If a team doesn't score within that time, they lose possession. 



Written by Esteban Gómez y Alejandro Pérez; translated by Pía Barriga Ferry / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport 
Ph: Jonnathan Oyarzún  / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport