The 23-year-old from Rioja climbed to the top of the podium in the 10-meter air rifle test and confirmed her power in South America. The Lionesses qualified for the final.
Fernanda Russo reached the South American Games in Asuncion with a dual purpose: to repeat his great results from four years ago in Cochabamba – he won gold in the individual and mixed team events (along with Alexis Eberdhart) of the air rifle 10 meters – and ensure the classification to the Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile 2023. And on the first day of sports shooting medals in the Paraguayan capital, he has already fulfilled a good part of those objectives.
Because the 23-year-old from La Rioja climbed to the top of the podium in her specialty, with 155.2 points, ahead of the other light blue and white representative, Salma Antorena, who was second with 154.0 and also got a ticket to Santiago. The bronze went to the Venezuelan Maribel Pineda.
Russo ratified that he is a power at the regional level in his discipline, in which, since he debuted in the majors, he won a silver in the Toronto Pan American Games 2015swept the Odesur in Cochabamba and won the individual bronze and gold in the mixed team in Lima 2019. In addition, a joy was given, at the beginning of a new Olympic cycle that was harder than expected.
“It cost. It was difficult to adapt to the rhythm of training, to what it means to commit myself again for a new Olympic cycle and, obviously, the economic crisis that we are going through is not alien to us (shooting is a sport with imported supplies). But we do what we can, is all on our own”, the Rioja native told TyC Sports in a chat, talking about how she lived the months after some Tokyo Olympics that were postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic and altered the normal calendar of world sport (because there will only be three years between that date and Paris 2024).
Although he assured: “It’s always a pride to represent Argentina. I’m very happy with the team that was formed, both the mixed team and the individual team, so let’s go all out”.
Russo, silver medal for international mixed teams in the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Gameshad a dream Olympic debut, when at only 16 years old she finished 20th in Río 2016. In Tokyo, she did not get the performance she expected: she finished 40th in the individual event and 27th in the mixed team competition.
Now he points everything to Paris. And in Asunción he has already taken the first step, because he got the ticket to the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023, which in turn will classify the champions of each shooting discipline to the Olympic event in the French capital.
The Riojan, likewise, still has one more objective to meet in the Odesur, which she will seek this Tuesday. Because she’s going for the gold medal in the mixed team event alongside Eberdhart.
The Santa Fe native, winner of three gold medals in Cochabamba, also stood on the podium in the individual 10-meter air rifle test and secured a place for Santiago, because he won the silver medal, behind the Venezuelan Julius Caesar Iemma (Prayed). The podium was completed by another albiceleste shooter, Julian Gutierrez.
Table tennis secured two medals
The pairs of women’s doubles and men’s doubles of table tennis secured two new medals for the Argentine harvest, because they got into the finals, which will be played this Tuesday.
High Gaston y Horace Cifuentes defeated the Brazilians at the start of the day by 3 to 2 (10-12, 2-11, 11-7, 11-7 and 11-8) Carlos Karassawa y Guilherme Da Costa in the quarterfinals. And then they won 3 to 0 (11-8, 11-5 and 11-8) against the Paraguayans Dario Toranzos y Marcelo Aguirre in semis. Now they will go for the gold against the Chileans Gustavo Gomez Hernandez y Nicholas Burgos Valdes.
While, Camila Arguelles y Candela Molero they overcame by 3 to 0 (11-6, 11-4 and 11-7) to Chesea Edghill y Natalie Cummings, from Guyana, in quarters; They also eliminated the Venezuelan team 3-0 (11-9, 11-7 and 11-7) in the semis. Camila Obando Silva y Roxy González Benítez; and they will seek the top of the podium against the Chileans Daniela Ortega Gomez y Maria Paulina Vega.
The boxer Lucía Pérez, who defeated the Bolivian María Eugenia Ortega by technical knockout in the semifinals of the category up to 66 kilos, also secured at least the silver medal. On Wednesday she will go for gold against Brazilian Barbara Dos Santos.
Aldana López won the bronze in the 50 kilos, falling in the semifinals 5-0 against Carolin Barbosa, from Brazil.
the claw, the women’s handball team, reached the last day of competition with chances of adding a gold. But the team of Edward Gallardo, which presented a team with many young players because it had already qualified for Santiago 2023, lost 26-15 to Brazil and took the bronze. The Brazilians took the gold and Paraguay, who lost in the closing of the single group with Chile by 22 to 17, kept the silver.
On the other hand, the women’s futsal team beat Bolivia 3-0 in their tournament debut. The masculine thrashed Panama 4-0.
While, the lionessesalready classified to the final, will collide with Peru at the end of the women’s field hockey qualifying phase.
