UA large quota of Santander athletes are in the delegation of 370 Colombian athletes who seek to excel in the 39 disciplines scheduled for the Junior Pan American Games that began this Thursday in Cali.
Among the representatives of the ‘Tierra del Cañón’ of Chicamocha is the skater Juan Jacobo Mantilla, who recently won three gold medals at the World Youth Championship that was held in Ibagué.
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Juan Jacobo is one of the strong cards of the national delegation, which hopes to fight the general classification of the medal table.
Likewise, in the squash discipline appears the athlete Lucía Paola Bautista, who has had an outstanding season with national and international victories, including a bronze in the women’s team in the Pan-American under 23 in El Salvador, a gold in mixed doubles and two silvers, in individual and women’s team, in the South American Junior in Cartagena.
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Nicolás Niño Mendoza also appears in tennis, with several podiums in international championships in South and Central America. Precisely those presentations have him with options to play the Junior Grand Slam and now he seeks to shine in the Pan American Games.
Canoeing will have the contribution of three athletes, they are Jhon Héctor Pacheco, Dany Alexander Palencia and Héctor Julián Morales, who met the demanding requirements in the qualifiers to be part of the Colombian National Team in the jousts.
Judo also confirms his good work in the training processes with two athletes. Esteicy Díaz, who competes in the 70 kilogram category, hopes to consolidate the South American title and the third Pan American place, achieved precisely in Cali.
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Also Gueiler Colmenares, in the 78 kilograms, arrives with serious aspirations, because she is the South American champion and fifth Pan American.
Athletics, in the same way, makes its contribution, with Carolina Ulloa, who was South American champion sub 23 in the hammer throw, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and also achieved university degrees in the United States, in addition to being ninth in the South American ranking of majors and third in the sub 23.
Likewise, there is Reinaldo Delgado, who stands out in the 3,000 meter hurdles, with national titles and international participation that have him as the eighth of the South American sub 23 ranking.
In swimming, Juan Daniel García and Valentina Becerra (he is part of the Caldas League), with extensive international experience, appear in the national swimming racing team that points him to the first places.
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Other athletes from Santander in the event are: Angelyn Saldaña (taekwondo), Simón Gómez (sailing), Juan Carlos Noriega (beach volleyball) and Valeria Carreño (tennis).
But Santander will not only have the representation of a good number of athletes, who will undoubtedly deliver satisfaction to the country, but there are coaches and also referees who will take part in the jousts.
In the technical direction, among others, will be Baudilio Hernández, in Judo; Javier Pérez, in canoeing; Kelly Cadena, in swimming; and Diego Fernando Becerra, in squash.
Among the judges, Jaime Santos leads the roster of nine Santander referees in athletics, just as Juan Carlos Saavedra appears as the most prominent in beach volleyball, taking into account that he was also in the Olympic Games.
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