More than 300 athletes gathered in Guayaquil to compete in the II round of the National Speed Skating Championship.
The competition took place on the renovated Miraflores track, which already meets all international technical standards.
The event had 320 athletes from 11 provinces, including the senior selected athletes who will represent the country in the Cochabamba 2018 South American Games: Renato Campana, Emma Clare, Íngrid Factos, and Gabriela Vargas. Rodrigo Matute and Jorge Bolaños, who are training abroad, are also part of the team.
"We have a certified track with the necessary coating to be able to compete internationally. The future of skateboarding in Ecuador looks promising, the kids have shown incredible physical performance. I am very happy knowing that after one cycle ends, the next ones will be able to give their all for the country," said Renato Campana, who placed first in track and road, 500m and 1,000m male heats.
"In this competition, we were missing two of the best skaters in Ecuador, Jorge Bolaños and Rodrigo Matute. We have two months, we are training very hard because the Games will be held at high altitude. In my case, I will have to work on my breathing," acknowledged the Guayaquil native who races for the Universal Skate club.
In the women's category, Emma Clare (Ecuador Skating) won in track and road; and Gabriela Vargas (Halcones) took first place in the 500m and 1,000m heats, followed by Íngrid Factos (Speed Force).
Starting this year, Vargas moved up to the senior division, so she hopes to achieve good results as she did in the junior category with two world podiums.
The Universal Skate club finished first with 885 points, followed by Halcones with 735 and Gabriela Cavalieri in third place with 653. (D)