Thursday, November 23rd, 2023.- In a tightly contested race, Canadian Anthony Bouchard won the 100 meters T52 (wheelchair competitors) at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games with a time of 17.67 seconds, ahead of Mexican Salvador Hernández (17.70 seconds) and Colombian Cristián Torres (17.76 seconds). 

The closeness of the race on the track at the Mario Recordón Athletic Center is confirmed by the fact that the fourth-place finisher, Mexican Leonardo de Jesús Pérez, was only 23 hundredths of a second behind the winner. 

"It was a pretty good race. I had confidence, but we all had a similar ranking, so I didn't know if I would finish first or last. It was very cool," said the winner, who also takes the bronze in the 400 meters at Santiago 2023. 

In the women's T38 (cerebral palsy) 100 meters, Colombian Darian Jiménez set a new continental record with her time of 12.69 seconds. She was followed by her compatriot Katty Hurtado (13.62 seconds) and American Catarina Guimaraes (14.07 seconds). 

"I am very happy to win the gold medal in my first Parapan American Games. We have been working for this," said the succinct winner. 

There was also a Parapan American record in the male's T35 (cerebral palsy) 100 meters, where Argentine Hernán Barreto clocked 12.10 seconds and climbed to the top of the podium, after finishing second in Lima 2019. 

In second place was his teammate Maximiliano Villa, who was just nine hundredths of a second behind the winner (12.19 seconds). Third was Brazilian Fabio da Silva (12.29 seconds), who won gold four years ago in Lima and bronze in this distance at the recent Paris World Championships, as well as silver in the Rio 2017 Paralympics. 

"In 2019, I lost the record because the Brazilian was stronger at that time. Now, in these Games, I lost the record in the 200, but I told myself that sport gives a chance for revenge, and fortunately, it gave me the chance for revenge through effort, not giving up when difficult things happened to me. This is a reward for my teachers, who put me in the best possible condition so that I can fight for my goals," acknowledged Barreto. 

Written by Macarena Navias; translated by Paulette Bertín / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport 
Photo by Marcelo Hernández / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport