Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023.- The male's and female's 400 meters in T12 (visual impairment) and T20 (intellectual impairment), respectively, crowned Para athletes Yamil Acosta and María Alejandra Murillo from Colombia this afternoon.

Acosta secured the gold at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games and, in the process, set a new continental record with a time of 49.04 seconds, surpassing the record set by Mexico's Jesús Manuel Martínez (49.85) at Toronto 2015.

In July of this year, Acosta won the silver medal in the T12 400 meters category at the World Championships, solidifying his status as one of the contenders for Paralympic gold in Paris 2024.

The silver medal went to Brazil's Marcos de Oliveira, with a time of 51.10 seconds, while the bronze was claimed by the Dominican Richard González, finishing in 54.38 seconds.

In the female's T20 400 meters, Murillo secured the gold with a time of 56.25 seconds, followed by Venezuela's Leonela Vera with the silver in 57.36 seconds. The bronze went to the Dominican Diana Vivenes (58.51).

The T12 category includes Para athletes with greater visual acuity than those competing in the T11/F11 sports class and/or with a field of vision of less than five degrees radius. Athletes may or may not run with a guide. The T20 category, on the other hand, includes Para athletes with an intellectual impairment that affects running (400 and 1,500 meters), jumping (long jump), or throwing (shot put).

Written by Ernesto Bustos B. – Paula Vivanco; translated by Rocio Rojas / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Marcelo Hernández / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport