The 33rd edition of the Juegos de la Araucanía concluded in Valdivia, Chile, ending a week of cross-border competition that brought together more than 2,500 athletes across 13 regional delegations. The multi-sport event, hosted in the Los Ríos region, wrapped up its schedule on Friday night, with official standings and individual medal counts after days of competition across various municipal venues and tracks.
The delegation from Neuquén finished fifth in the general classification standings with a total of 165 points. The provincial team collected 21 medals overall, placing seventh in the official medal table with four gold, nine silver, and eight bronze awards. This performance marked an improvement in overall points compared to previous years, exceeding the records of 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Women’s divisions drove the delegation’s gold medal output. Marianela Salomón captured a gold medal in cycling, while the women’s judo team also earned a first-place finish. In individual events, Enzo Suárez secured a gold medal in judo, and Francisco García delivered a strong performance in swimming events.
Closing Day Podiums in Basketball and Football
On the final day of competition, Neuquén’s female team squads contested and secured crucial bronze medals in collective disciplines. At the Gimnasio Municipal Las Ánimas, the women’s basketball team defeated Río Negro 45–42 to claim the third-place podium spot, overcoming an early deficit after trailing 20–8 in the first time under Dante Centeno.
Simultaneously, the women’s football team met Los Lagos at Gimnasio Municipal 2. After finishing regulation time tied at 2–2 with goals from Jazmín Pérez and Emma Condorelli, Neuquén won the subsequent penalty shootout 5–4. Conversions from Pérez, Juana Quinteros, Julieta Durán, Olivia Puchetta Machado, and Renata Di Martino sealed the bronze medal. In contrast, the male football squad missed the podium after a 1–0 defeat to Río Negro at Estadio Félix Gallardo, and the male volleyball team fell 3–1 to host Los Ríos at Gimnasio Gil de Castro with set scores of 25–19, 19–25, 25–22, and 25–19. Under Emilio Gimeno, the male volleyball team could not maintain its podium presence after earning the silver medal last year, ultimately finishing in fourth place. In men’s basketball, Neuquén defeated Araucanía 73 to 71 to secure fifth place. Additionally, at the Municipal Track in Valdivia, Neuquén placed 13th in the ten-kilometer foot relay with Samiel Aguirre, while Bruno Sarmiento finished in 16th place.
Regional Standings and Río Negro’s Medal Output
The region of Los Lagos claimed the overall championship title with 212 points, displacing Río Negro, which had won six Juegos de la Araucanía. The podio was completed by Los Ríos, with 189 points, and Río Negro, which summed 186 points. Behind Neuquén in fifth, La Pampa finished sixth with 162 points.
Río Negro maintained a powerful presence in the medal standings, securing third place in the overall table with 38 total medals, 15 of them gold. Among Río Negro’s standout competitors, Federico Bottos contributed ten gold medals in swimming, while Violeta Vicencs added a gold medal in the triple jump.
