Steven Pineiro will debut in skateboarding at the Pan American Games with high expectations: “If I do my routine, I will come out with a medal”

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Santiago, Chile – The skaters Steven Pineiro and Manny Santiago They do not go unnoticed even in one of the southernmost points of the world.

The couple – who attracted attention in the last Olympic cycle – are here in Chile for their first Pan American Games in Santiago 2023.

This time, Pineiro and Santiago are accompanied by Vianez Morales, who did not see action in Tokyo 2020, but who will break the ice of Puerto Rican women’s skateboarding this Saturday, at the Street event, which is the same one in Santiago.

The two skaters showed off their skateboard tricks for the media during a visit to the Pan American Village. Morales was not present because he was training. Pineiro also gave demonstrations on his skateboard, which continues to carry images of the Puerto Rican parrot on the hidden part, among others.

Of the three, Pineiro is the main exponent after arriving in an honorable sixth place in Tokyo 2020 and to be in the ‘Top10’ of the Olympic ranking for the Paris 2024 edition.

Here, Pineiro is confident that he can get on the podium if he maintains the level he has shown internationally.

“That’s how I feel here (confident) and I’m going to aspire to that. I mean more, if I do my routine, I come out with a medal. I’m going to celebrate,” she said.

Pineiro competes on Sunday in the Park event, which is final and, therefore, distributes medals that same day.

Skateboarding debuts at the Pan-American level in Santiago 2023. The Pan-American level is high due to the presence of powers such as the United States and Brazil.

However, this Saturday the action begins with the Street modality in which Morales and Santiago will compete, starting with the female at 9:00 am, followed by Santiago at 2:30 pm Both branches will distribute medals this same Saturday.

Santiago, who did not perform well in Tokyo 2020, is back, for the first time since then, in the Olympic cycle arena and feels the confidence to execute.

“I feel good. I already practiced the routine and the tricks I have to do. On the first day I did the routine three times (immediately), and knowing what I have to do, that’s where the confidence comes from,” said Santiago, who added that he has been hurting his back.

Santiago explained that he has some different tricks for these Pan American Games, but added that he will surely choose the ones he does most effectively to obtain good scores.

For his part, Pineiro used this platform again to request a skate park in Puerto Rico, as he did in the last Olympic cycle. He hopes that one or more medals at these Games will help them continue to push his petition.

”We still need a world-class park in Puerto Rico. I believe that the sport can grow even more with these participations in the Pan American Games, raising the flag high worldwide. I understand that, with what we achieve here, a park in Puerto Rico would be brutal”Pineiro said.