For the first time in the history of archery, Panama will participate with a complete team of 12 archers, in the XXVI Pan American Archery Championship, which will take place from November 21 to 27 in Chile, fulfilling one of the main objectives of the work plan of the National Archery Association, led by Luis Barria.
The Panamanian team is a mix of experience and youth, led by coach Gary Hernández. The selection is made up of Bladimir Berdiales, Edgar Barsallo, Willie Chen, Alexis Yañez, Octavio García, José Martinelli, Astrid Barría, Paola Coronas, Miriam Rodríguez, Gisela Cowan, Emma Durán and Adriannis Caballero.
The regional championship is one of the largest events in this discipline that has been held on the continent and has the participation of more than 500 athletes from 28 countries in the Americas, who will compete for 92 spots for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
The Panamanian delegation has the opportunity to opt for up to 18 medals and places for the Pan American Games next year, with their participation in the recurve and compound modalities, with individual and team competitions for women and men.
It should be noted that Panama will also compete in mixed, one of the few Olympic disciplines that breaks the stereotype of separate genders when it comes to competing; allowing mixed events (one male archer and one female archer).
Las Águilas, as the Panamanian Archery Team is known, not only competes individually; it also does it by teams, having the greatest possibility of obtaining medals and quotas, unlike collective selections of 20 or 30 athletes, which in the best of cases can only opt for one medal.
The Panamanian team traveled with the support of the National Bank of Panama, Pandeportes and the Olympic Committee of Panama and is already in Chile.
