San Luis added a silver medal in judo and a bronze in adapted athletics on Thursday, the third day of competition at the Juegos Nacionales Evita 2026 in Mar del Plata, bringing the province’s medal tally to five across its first three days at the national youth games, Agencia San Luis reported. The two medals came after a rain-soaked start to the week: with the sun finally out over the Atlantic resort city, athletes were able to enjoy the beach for the first time after finishing their matches and tests.
The group traveled nearly 18 hours by road before arriving in Mar del Plata around midday Sunday and taking part in Monday’s opening ceremony alongside roughly 6,000 young athletes from 20 Argentine provinces at the city’s Polideportivo.
Early medals came from cycling and adapted athletics
San Luis’s first three medals arrived on the opening day of competition, LV15 reported. Flag bearer María Paz Peralta took silver in the 500-meter cycling event, while Benicio Fernández won gold in the 100 meters and bronze in shot put in adapted athletics. The province also made history by fielding a women’s rugby 7 team for the first time at the Evita Games; the side lost its debut match to Misiones but captain Kimey Barrera said the experience was invaluable.
Barrera told LV15 the team was assembled only recently with classmates from the Mitre school and trained at the Los Teros club. “Estar en los Evita es una experiencia hermosa,” she said — being at the Evita Games is a beautiful experience — adding that many of her teammates were seeing the sea for the first time.
Thursday brought sun, beach time and new debuts
After two cloudy, rainy days, Thursday’s sunshine let athletes who had finished competing head to the beach to share a moment and recharge for the final stretch of the Games, Agencia San Luis reported. The day also marked debuts for San Luis in Olympic weightlifting, skateboarding and freestyle, while the men’s artistic gymnastics team put in strong performances.
Four San Luis weightlifters — Ian Robles, Valentino Roth, Mateo Rosas and Bruno Rosales — qualified for Friday’s finals, where they will compete for gold. In badminton, Agustín Carrizo advanced to play a Neuquén opponent on Friday for a place in the final, in a discipline that has historically been a strength for the province.
Men’s rugby 7 and beach volleyball set for Friday
The men’s rugby 7 team reached the semifinals and will look for a spot in the final starting at 10:00 on Friday, Agencia San Luis reported. The men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams fell just short of the medal rounds, losing in the quarterfinals, and will close out their tournament on Friday with matches for fourth place.
One of the beach volleyball players is Inti Mitchell, who represents the town of Balde. News of his participation at the Evita Games spread widely among Balde’s residents and went viral on social media, Agencia San Luis reported. Mitchell said: “We’re having a really nice experience. We had cold days and hot days like today, when we could enjoy the beach. I’ve played volleyball since I was 5 and I’m very happy to represent my town, which is Balde.” He thanked his neighbors and sent a special greeting to his family, “who have always supported me since I was little.”
Friday decides finals as the Games close Saturday
Friday is the key day for the San Luis delegation, with athletes across several disciplines seeking places in finals and new medals before the competition closes on Saturday, Agencia San Luis reported. The schedule includes the men’s rugby 7 final bid from 10:00, Carrizo’s badminton semifinal against Neuquén, the four weightlifting finals, and the beach volleyball fourth-place matches.
Across the first three days, San Luis played 21 matches in 14 team and individual disciplines on the opening day alone, LV15 reported, with more teams — including women’s futsal, women’s volleyball and men’s tennis — scheduled to make their debuts as the week progressed.
