Brazil dominates at the South American Championships – Athletics news
Living up to expectations at the conclusion of the 47th South American Championships, Brazil sustained the winning streak it has been maintaining in the event since 1975. While contesting in the oldest championships of the IAAF in the region,
Brazil bagged 21 gold, 16 silver and 14 bronze medals.
On the final day of the event, since the weather conditions were mild, athletes participating in disciplines like walking and long distance races were the ones who benefited the most and succeeded in putting up some remarkable performances. The tremendous
display by runners culminated in the emergence of Andres Chocho and Ingrid Hernandez as the new record holders of the region in the 20,000m walk contests.
Chocho, the runner from Ecuador, went on to dominate the walking race right from the gun. The 27-year-old Cuenca dweller covered the required distance in one hour, twenty minutes and 23.8 seconds, to reclaim the South American record for his nation. Before
him, it was Jefferson Perez, the gold medallist at the World championships and Olympic Games, who had brought the privilege to Ecuador.
In a contest at Lima in June 2009, Luis Fernando Lopez from Colombia had taken back the record for clocking one hour, twenty minutes and 53.6 seconds.
After winning the title and being declared as the best male performer of the event, Chocho said, “At the beginning, we were fighting for the victory, knowing that would mean the qualification for the World championships, but, at the end, the fast pace meant
a bigger prize.”
On the women’s side, the crown remained with Colombia as Ingrid Hernandez bagged the title for covering the desired distance in one hour, thirty two minutes and 9.4 seconds. Just like her male counterpart of the event, Hernandez too marked a new record and
got rid of Ecuador’s Johana Ordonez’s one hour, thirty four minutes and 57.9 seconds, set in 2009.
For claiming second position in the event, Milangela Rosales from Venezuela crossed the finishing line in one hour, thirty two minutes and 17.6 seconds. Rosales, who had been dominating the race right from the gun, was expected to finish first, but eventually
she fell for the second place on the podium. The third place in the discipline was bagged by Arabelly Orjuela, another Colombian who marked her personal best for finishing-off the race in one hour, thirty two minute and 48.7 seconds.
When approached by media personnel, Hernandez, the title holder of the event, said that the victory had brought great satisfaction for her as it had served as a cover-up for the bad performance at the Pan-American Cup. She said that the title was the reward
of the hard work she had been putting in for long.
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