Five gold medals, eight silver and 12 bronze, was the balance that the Colombian delegation had on the fifth day of competitions at the Asunción 2022 South American Games, metals that secure it in second position in the general table, only by behind Brazil, which reached 56 first places, this Wednesday.
The 25 medals of the day were divided into nine disciplines: archery, with six; swimming races, with five; taekwondo, with four; diving swimming, with three; weightlifting and artistic gymnastics with two, while road cycling, karate and fencing with one.
The first joy of the day came in the pedaling power of Lina Hernández, a cyclist who got used to getting on the podium and drawing smiles. She finished in second position in the long-distance road cycling event and added her second silver medal in the South Americans. The Colombian finished behind the Venezuelan, Jennifer Cesar, and ahead of the Chilean, Aranza Villalón.
And when the joy of Hernandez’s silver medal had not yet ceased, diving swimming and archery reappeared to fill the chest of an entire nation with pride, with the golds of Luis Felipe Uribe, in the 1-meter springboard, and Jorge Enríquez , in single recurve. Two golds that served to start the morning of the fifth day on the right foot.
Both were accompanied on the podium by Sebastián Morales, silver in the 1 meter springboard, and by Andrés Pila, bronze in individual recurve. Likewise, Alejandro Solarte, in the 10-meter individual platform, won the bronze.
With two golds adorning the medal table on day five, the figure of Sara López appeared, in individual compound archery, to add another first place, in a competition that was dominated by Colombia, with Valentina Suárez and Alejandra Usquiano, who They completed the podium, with silver and bronze, respectively. While, in the recurve mode, Valentina Contreras finished second.
Weightlifting was not far behind and with the presence of the Sports Minister, María Isabel Urrutia, on the platform of pavilion one of the SND, in Asunción, Luis Quiñones added second place in the 109 kg category and Yeinny Geles, a third, in the 87 kg. The highest governing body of Colombian sport also witnessed the gold of Andrea Ramírez in the 49 kg in taekwondo.
This sport was dressed in glory with the silver of Isaac Vélez, in individual pomsae and the bronzes of Jefferson Ochoa, in the 58 kg and Laura Olarte, individual pomsae. Karate did the same, another combat discipline, which added a bronze with Juan Camilo Fernández, in the 60 kg.
From the contact of feet and hands to the arm dance. Colombian swimming races continued adding podiums. Karen Durango, in the 200-meter butterfly, took silver, as did the 4×100 medley relay team, which was made up of Durango, Valentina Becerra, Jorge Mario Murillo and Ómar Pinzón. While Samantha Baños and David Arias, in the 200-meter butterfly, and Juan Manuel Morales, in the 400-meter freestyle, took bronze.
And from the water to the harmony of gymnastics and the precision of fencing. Jossimar Calvo finished in third position in the individual general standings, as did the men’s team. For its part, the national fencing team won silver in the saber category.
The curtain closed on a fifth day full of emotions, in which the Colombian athletes demonstrated their talent, dedication and determination. This Thursday, the country will be represented in the sports of badminton, basketball, fencing, soccer, artistic gymnastics, golf, taekwondo, sailing and volleyball.
