Peruvian athletes managed 39 medals in the 17 competition days of the Pan American Games Lima 2019, reaching the ninth place in the medal table. This new number is over three times higher than the total achieved at the previous Games: Toronto 2015. 

The largest ever Peruvian delegation at the Pan American Games managed an unprecedented 11 gold, 7 silver and 21 bronze medals. 

But, do you know the Peruvian athletes whose performances resulted in the Peruvian flag being raised in the medal ceremonies? Find out more about these athletes here. 

1. Marcela Castillo 

The Peruvian taekwondist, Lima 2019 ambassador, brought immense joy to Peru when she picked up the silver medal in individual poomsae, after scoring 7.530 points, just 0.130 short of the first place. In this discipline, the athletes show a combination of moves as they face imaginary opponents. Synchronization and rhythm are key to a high score. 

2. Cristhian Pacheco 

Breaking a Pan American record with the support of the home crowd does not happen every day. Therefore, the gold medal that the 26-year-old marathon runner clinched at Lima 2019 means something else. Pacheco ran 42 km and 195 m in 2:09:31, crushing the 36-year-old record set by Puerto Rican Jorge González. 

3. José María Lúcar 

The boxer climbed on the podium for the 91 kg category to collect his bronze medal. The audience at Miguel Grau Coliseum in Callao were always cheering him on so he could make it to the final, though he was defeated in the semifinals by Ecuadorian Julio César Castillo, who was competing in his fourth Pan American Games. 

4. Daniella Rosas 

Sunday August 4 was a historic journey for Peruvian sport, especially for surfing, as the Peruvian team won a total of six medals at Punta Rocas venue. One of them was the gold picked up by Daniella Rosas, the 17-year-old surfer who became the youngest ever Pan American medalist from Peru. She pulled it off in the women’s open surfing event. 

5. Marko Carrillo 

The seasoned 31-year-old shooter won the bronze medal in shooting, 25m rapid fire pistol, which also earned him qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He obtained 21 points in the final, a new national record. 

6. Natalia Cuglievan 

One of the two Peruvian athletes who became two-time Pan American champions at Lima 2019, the other being karateka Alexandra Grande, since she also won at Toronto 2015. Natalia won once again in water skiing figures, with a final score of 9910 points. 

7. John Trebejo, Oliver del Castillo and Carlos Lam 

The Villa El Salvador Sports Center burst with joy when the jury of men's team kata showed the score of 25.48 for the Peruvian team. This score meant leaving the Mexicans behind and reaching the top of the podium. It was an unforgettable moment for the athletes and their families. 

8. Claudia Suárez 

Peruvian fronton (one of the Basque pelota events) earned two gold medals for Peru, one won by the 51-year-old athlete. The Peruvian athlete did not lose a single set in the five games she played and showed a perfect performance in each phase of the competition. 

Those were some of the Peruvian medalists of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. Each of them taught us that everything is possible with discipline, effort and respect, leaving aside the age.