The torch is lit and the games are in full swing down in Peru! Wheelchair rugby, para table tennis, and sitting volleyball kicked off prior to the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games opening ceremonies with some preliminary matches on Thursday and Friday. Chile’s Tamara Leonell took home the first gold medal on Friday in table tennis while athletes from Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, and USA all picked up golds in the same sport the following day.
US’s McKenna Dahl kicked off the first full day of competition on Saturday with the first ever shooting para sport gold at a Parapan Am games. She out shot seven competitors in the mixed 10mm air rifle stand SH2 with 251.2 points. Badminton and taekwondo will also join para shooting later in the competition as new additions to the Parapan Am Games.
Brazil is off to an incredible start on all fronts, leading through the weekend in gold and total medals. Brazil’s Thiago Paulino broke the men’s F57 shot put world record with a 15.26m throw while Elizabeth Rodrigues threw 16.67m for the women’s discus F53 record. Brazil’s men’s sitting volleyball team has also been dominant thus far with wins against Peru, Costa Rica, USA, and Canada in the preliminary stage. Colombia will challenge them at 2 pm today as they fight for a semifinal spot.
There was no surprise on the track on Saturday when the world’s fastest female Paralympian, Cuba’s Omara Durand, won T12 200m gold with her guide Yuniol Vargas. There was some high drama and heartbreak in the men’s 5000m T11 though. Hosts Peru thought they won their first gold but Rosbil Guillen and guide Carlos Guevara were disqualified when they broke loose just short of the finish line!
There’s so much more action to come with the Parapan Am Games running through September 1st. Follow us for updates and head to the official Lima 2019 website for schedules and results. Livestreaming can be blocked depending on the country but we have a few options in the US:
Athletes Roll 