Exciting matches are being played at the first day of the Pan Am Games 2023.
Check here Schedule & Results.
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Pan Am athletes are showing their best at the XIX Pan Am Games held in Santiago, Chile, at the Olympic Training Center. The Badminton competition started on Saturday 21 and will have the Finals on Wednesday 25.
The longest match for Canjura victory
Uriel Canjura (ESA) and Job Castillo (MEX) played the longest match of the first session, 1 hour and 16 minutes, sharing a great level of play and many emotions in a 3-games-match which need 25 shuttles due to the intensity of the game.
Canjura, who started the competition as seeded 3/4, won the first game (21-19) showing consistency, but Castillo, fighting every shuttle, equalized the match by winning the second game (21-17). Uriel kept the difference in the third game (21-10) to win the match.
“I knew from the beginning that the match would be difficult due to Job’s abilities, who fought for every point and never gave up a shuttle for lost, showing that he is at a high level”, refered Canjura who also has a friendship with Job and admires his sports career.
“I enjoyed every point and every minute of today’s match, a very intense game that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. I fought each point with all the energy that the match demanded and sticking to the strategy in each game. In the end it was not enough and Uriel was better than me, showing why today, he is second in America.” – Job Castillo.
Olympians Kevin Cordon, Ygor Coelho and Howard Shu also started the competition with victories, fighting for the glory in this Pan Am Games.
In the female side, R32 was played with victories of the outstanding Olympians Beiwen Zhang, Nikte Sotomayor and Haramara Gaitan. Also, seeded 2, Wen Yu Zhang (CAN), and seededs 3/4 Rachel Chan (CAN) and Juliana Viana Vieira (BRA) won their matches to continue fighting for the podium.
The journey continued with the Round of 32 in Mixed Doubles where Henry Huebla and Maria Delia Zambrano played an outstanding match against Manuel Mejia/ Gabriela Barrios (ESA) with victory for the Ecuadorian duo (21-10, 21-14).
Also in Mixed Doubles, local duo Alonso Medel and Vania Diaz defeated Frank Barrios/ Maria Rojas (VEN) in straight games (21- 17, 21-14) to reach the next stage.
Badminton Competition at Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games will continue on Sunday 22 with the Round of 16 in every event. Good luck to all the athletes!
