Iván Nikolajuk secured a silver medal for Argentina in the men’s compound archery team event at the South American Games, adding a continental podium finish to his career just four years after surviving a near-fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. Competing alongside teammates Nelson Salinas and Lucas Garcés, the General Conesa native reached the final in Santa Fe before dropping a tightly contested four-set match to Colombia by a score of 231 to 228.
Team Silver and a Hard-Fought Final Against Colombia
The Argentine men’s compound archery trio carved out a challenging path to the podium at the 2026 South American Games. Facing a formidable Colombian squad widely recognized as a continental powerhouse, Nikolajuk, Salinas, and Garcés pushed the match through four tense sets before finishing three points shy at 231–228. For Nikolajuk, who claimed a gold medal at the previous South American Games in Asunción in 2022, the silver medal serves as validation of his consistency and competitive drive.
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“It’s an immense joy,” Nikolajuk said in an interview. “This medal was won by the team. It was a dreamed-of result for us; we faced Colombia in the final, which is a powerhouse. Just competing against them was already crazy.”
Individual Campaign and Prior Success
Following the team final, Nikolajuk shifted his focus to the individual compound archery tournament. He advanced through the bracket, which included a win over compatriot Nelson Salinas in the preliminary rounds. His run concluded in the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by Colombia’s Jagdeep Singh by a score of 147 to 143.
The latest continental medal continues a decorated athletic career for the Río Negro archer, highlighted by his gold-medal performance at the 2022 Asunción Games. That triumph in Paraguay arrived shortly after a profound personal health crisis that interrupted his training and threatened his life.
Overcoming a Near-Fatal Medical Emergency
Four months before his gold-medal run in Asunción, Nikolajuk suffered a severe carbon monoxide poisoning incident that left him unconscious and comatose for an entire night in Bahía Blanca. The unexpected accident required an extensive and challenging physical recovery before he could return to competitive form.
“It was a normal day for me, I started feeling bad, I passed out,” Nikolajuk recounted regarding the incident. “It turns out I had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. I spent a whole night in a coma in Bahía Blanca. I didn’t feel it, but my family went through a very hard time.”
After recovering and returning to the top tier of regional competition, Nikolajuk has cemented his status as a pillar of Argentine archery, adding a silver team medal to his record at the Santa Fe Games.
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