Argentina Secures Early Gold in Judo and Wrestling at IV Juegos Suramericanos de la Juventud Panamá 2026

The Argentine delegation has opened its campaign at the IV Juegos Suramericanos de la Juventud Panamá 2026 with a powerful display of strength and technique. In the opening day of competition, Argentina captured two gold medals and one bronze, signaling a strong start for the albiceleste athletes in Panama.

The early success was driven by standout performances in judo and freestyle wrestling, with athletes demonstrating high levels of tactical precision and dominance across their respective weight classes.

Judo: Álamo Torres Sets the Pace

The first medal of the Games for Argentina came from the judo mats, where Juan Martín Álamo Torres delivered a masterclass in the -55kg category. The Cordobés athlete secured the gold medal through a series of decisive victories, characterized by efficiency and control.

Álamo Torres’ path to the top of the podium began with a grueling quarterfinal match against Peru’s Benjamín Burnside. The contest pushed into the Golden Score period, where the Argentine eventually secured the win via ippon at the 5:33 mark. He maintained that momentum into the semifinals, where he overwhelmed Brazil’s Mohammad Hauache with an ippon in just 46 seconds.

In the final, Álamo Torres faced Nelson Martínez of Venezuela. The match was brief and definitive; Álamo Torres executed an ippon in 56 seconds to claim the gold. Following the victory, the athlete expressed his gratitude, noting that he entered the final focused on executing his training to achieve the result he came for.

The final standings for the -55kg category saw Juan Álamo Torres take gold, Nelson Martínez (Venezuela) taking silver, and Mohammad Hauache (Brazil) and Juan Soriano (Ecuador) sharing the bronze medals.

Other judo results included a strong showing from Brisa Mercado in the women’s -44kg category, who finished the inaugural day in fifth place.

Wrestling: Dominance in the Ring

The Argentine momentum continued in freestyle wrestling, where the delegation added another gold and a bronze to its tally. Benjamín Casas provided one of the most dominant performances of the day in the 71kg masculine category.

Casas advanced through the bracket with overwhelming superiority. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Peru’s Adrián Riques with a score of 12-2. He followed this in the semifinals by shutting out Chile’s Valentino Godoy, winning 11-0.

The gold medal match saw Casas maintain his streak of dominance against Venezuela’s Stheven Padrón. Casas secured a victory by technical superiority (VSU), winning 11-0 to crown the day’s wrestling events.

Adding to the medal count, Santiago Chrisjohn secured a bronze medal in the 60kg masculine freestyle category. After a loss in the semifinals, Chrisjohn bounced back in the bronze medal match, defeating Ecuador’s Phatrix Mora 12-2, winning by technical superiority.

Opening Day Summary

The initial phase of the IV Juegos Suramericanos de la Juventud Panamá 2026 has established Argentina as a formidable contender in the combat sports disciplines. The combination of rapid ippons in judo and technical superiority in wrestling highlights the depth of the youth talent pool currently representing the country.

For those unfamiliar with the scoring, an “ippon” in judo is the highest score possible, ending the match immediately, while “technical superiority” in wrestling occurs when a wrestler gains a significant lead over their opponent, ending the bout early.

As the competition progresses in Panama, the Argentine delegation looks to build on this early success across its remaining sporting disciplines.

The next official updates regarding the medal table and upcoming match schedules will be released by the organizing committee. Stay tuned to Archysport for continued coverage of the Games.