Puerto Rico will go after its first medals in different disciplines at the Pan American Games

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Santiago, Chile. The sporting action starts in earnest this Saturday in the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 and Puerto Rico will have the first opportunities to win medals in various disciplines on the day.

Skateboarding, shooting, mountain biking, weightlifting, diving, swimming, taekwondo and gymnastics are the sports that award medals and in which Puerto Rico will be active with its athletes or teams.

In preliminary rounds, The Puerto Rican delegation will also be active this Saturday in 3×3 basketball, beach and court volleyball, as well as climbingwhich debuts in the fair.

The skaters Vianez Morales and Manny Santiago They seek medals in the Street modality, which begins at 10:00 am, with the women’s round. They will compete against seven other rivals in each branch.

Skate makes its debut at the Pan American Games in Chile with a new park. Santiago was an Olympian in Tokyo 2020.

“The track is different than what we are used to in terms of size. But the park looks good and sometimes like this, you have to choose what you like and ‘pick’ what you don’t like. I did that on the first day of practice. I know the tricks I have to do. I saw how the other athletes were practicing. I know what I have to do to get on the podium”said Santiago, who added that he has been suffering from his back.

Yarimar Mercado, In turn, he will seek a Pan American medal in the 10-meter air rifle, which is the preliminary and final event on the same day.

The Yaucana athlete achieved a silver medal at the San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games in this event. At the Lima 2019 Pan American Games she did not advance to the final.

Mountain biking will take Georwill Perez as his medal option on the circuit. She was a bronze medalist in that event in San Salvador 2023 and here, at the Pan American level, she could be among the best five.

Weightlifting will try to win a medal in the 49 kilograms with Omayraliz Ortiz against 11 other competitors, including the Lima 2019 champion, the Dominican Beatriz Piron.

“She is training well and is comfortable. There is a higher level in the Pan American Games, so it must be among the first 5-6 positions”said the president of the Weightlifting Federation, Andres Vargas.

The diver Maycey Vieta He will seek the podium on the 10-meter platform, after qualifying for the final in the preliminaries held on Friday morning, when he had problems on the first jump. She advanced in eighth position among the 12 finalists.

“It was a good experience for us. To be honest, it was a moment that challenged us, that could overcome it. I hope that experience will help him for the final,” said Vieta’s coach, the former Olympic athlete. Mark Ruiz.

Arelis Medina and Luis de Jesus They will seek medals in taekwondo in the individual poomsae modality, while the Olympic Victoria Stambaugh (49 kg) and Edrick Morales (58 kg) will go for medals in the combat category.

In swimming, Xavier Ruiz and Christian Bayo They would go for medals in the 100 meter breaststroke and 400 meter freestyle, respectively, if they manage to qualify for the finals in the morning preliminaries.

And in gymnastics, the men’s team of three participants does not go to the event with any expectation of medals. The three athletes, Jose ‘Gussy’ Lopez, Andres Perez and Nelson Guilbe They will seek to position themselves for their individual events later on the calendar.