Thursday, November 23rd, 2023.- A decisive 80-54 loss to Puerto Rico marked the end of Chile's participation in wheelchair basketball at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games, this morning at the Polideportivo 1 at the Parque Estadio Nacional.

The local team struggled against the Caribbean team's superiority in shooting accuracy (59% to 35%), securing the eighth and final position in the discipline with a record of five losses in five played games.

Angel Hernández's evaluation put the team's performance into perspective. "We've done all the work we've been doing for a long time, and my teammates were well-prepared. I don't know if calling them mistakes, but there are always shortcomings that come with experience, and that's what these kinds of championships provide," he reflected.

"We faced players who play abroad, we played against world champions, so I think it's a great experience for the entire team," concluded the national Para-athlete.

On the Puerto Rican side, Efraín Ortiz acknowledged, "We did well because we are a team composed of players from different places who only come together for these types of tournaments, without complete synchronization."

Written by Patricio Hernández y Nicolás Olea; translated by Pía Barriga Ferry / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Karin Pozo / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport