San Juan athletes secured eight medals across four different disciplines at the Juegos Suramericanos Santa Fe 2026, improving upon the six-podium finish recorded at the Asunción 2022 Games. Out of the 12 provincial representatives who traveled with the Argentine delegation, eight returned home with at least one medal, anchored by standout performances in cycling, BMX, archery, and men’s volleyball.
Cycling Leads the Provincial Medal Count
Cycling proved to be the primary engine for San Juan’s success at the regional competition, accounting for five of the eight total podium finishes. Mateo Kalejman claimed the gold medal in the individual time trial on the road, navigating the 48-kilometer course in 54 minutes, 58 seconds, and 56 hundredths. Teammate Delfina Dibella added a bronze medal in the women’s event over the 36-kilometer distance.
Rubén Ramos Meglioli emerged as the only San Juan athlete to capture two medals at the Santa Fe Games. He first earned a bronze medal as part of the Argentine team pursuit quartet before pairing up with Marcos Méndez to secure the gold medal in the Madison event, totaling 43 points after 120 laps.
Podium Finishes on the Track and Velodrome
The success extended beyond road cycling into BMX racing and the velodrome. Gonzalo “Chalo” Molina collected a silver medal in BMX Racing, crossing the finish line of the final in 31 seconds and 924 milliseconds. Molina finished just 116 milliseconds behind Colombia’s Mateo Carmona, who took the gold.
In the velodrome, Maribel Aguirre earned a bronze medal. Hailing from Rawson, Aguirre teamed up with Abril Garzón in the women’s Madison, finishing third with 14 points behind pairings from Colombia and Chile to round out the cycling-heavy medal haul.
Archery and Volleyball Add to the Harvest
Beyond the cycling events, San Juan competitors made their mark in precision sports and team disciplines. Lucas Garcés represented the province on the archery podium by joining Iván Nikolajuk and Nelson Salinas on the Argentine compound archery team. The trio captured the silver medal after a narrow 231-228 defeat against Colombia in a final decided by just three points.
The delegation’s campaign concluded with the men’s volleyball tournament, where Samuel Guidi Correa and Benjamín Flores helped the Argentine national team reach the championship match. Argentina advanced to the final by defeating Peru 3-0 in the semifinals. In the gold medal match, Argentina won the opening set against Chile before dropping the next three to settle for the silver medal. Guidi played in all four sets of the final, while Flores also contributed to the squad’s tournament run.
The eight podium performances—consisting of two gold medals, three silver medals, and three bronze medals—solidified a productive outing for San Juan’s athletes on the international stage.
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