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The ninth day of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games ended flawlessly for Team Peru, after athlete Luz Mery Rojas stood on the podium with the gold medal in the 10,000 meters. With this medal, our compatriots have seven gold medals, placing them seventh in the medal standings. However, not everything is joy, especially for those athletes who had to struggle to reach this stage.
At the time, Cristhian Pacheco said -on RPP- that "talking about my federation is a waste of time", even on arrival in Lima, after winning the gold medal in the men's marathon, he said "there was no one (receiving me), I just took my taxi and went to the hotel". This time, it was the athlete from Huancayo who spoke up and denounced the lack of support.
"As an athlete, I feel abandoned by the authorities. We have to find ways to excel because we are passionate about it, we like to represent our country and give all our effort. There are people who support us, but we don't see anything from the authorities, knowing that we are bringing medals", she said in an interview with RPP.
She also announced that she requested the Junín Regional Government to renovate the Huancayo stadium and the CAR (High-Performance Center), for the benefit of other athletes in the region. "Behind us, there is a team that works, morning and afternoon. They have to bet on us, provide us with the support of having new infrastructure", she stated.
Despite the annoyance, she did not hesitate to affirm that she will now focus on her next challenge. "This year has been the best year of my sporting life, and this is just the beginning because there are many more things to come, like the Olympic Games in Paris", she said.
Unforgettable Monday
Luz Mery Rojas won her first Pan American gold, surpassing the Mexican Laura Galván (the favorite) and the American Ednat Kurgat after 33m12s99c. Along with her, other athletes in other disciplines added more medals for Peru. ‘Piccolo’ Clemente (longboard), Mafer Reyes (longboard), and Lucca Mesinas (SUP) stood on the highest step of the podium.
Miguel Tudela achieved an honorable third place, while in the SUP Surf modality, Vania Torres also won the bronze. In Stand Up Paddle Race (SUP Race), Itzel Delgado won the silver medal, with a time of 13m25s2c. The Peruvian judo also won a bronze medal thanks to Camila Figueroa, who defeated the Ecuadorian Vanessa Chala in the -78 kilos category.
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