The Parapan American Games were not only a sporting and organizational success, but they also generated a lot of expectation in several disciplines. This afternoon, the Sports Center 3 at VIDENA showed a full house again in the final won by Pedro Pablo de Vinatea, in an unprecedented sporting environment for Para badminton.

This support chain, which helps to promote Para sports in Peru, was always one of the goals that De Vinatea pursued. However, this should only serve as a starting point for improving the conditions for athletes with an impairment. The mother of the Parapan American champion, Rosario Estrada de Vinatea, expressed how she felt with this experience.

“The public has captured the love that Pedro Pablo has for his sport and this is just the beginning of what he always dreamed of. He always says that each triumph of his teammates makes him feel like a winner, because he has really connected with the people who leave everything to reach their goals. This is an example for all society, because it makes us unite around the sport that gives us all happiness,” she said.

The President of Peru, Martín Vizcarra, was among the group of spectators, while the cheers were in charge of ‘La Blanquirroja’. In fact, its members were present in most of the competitions in which Peruvian Para athletes participated. Jair Villanueva, the founder of ‘La Blanquirroja’, explained the reasons behind this mobilization.

“This movement that was seen in Lima 2019 is part of what we call Peruvian revolution, which is part of the culture of support for all the Peruvian athletes we are promoting. We want to be the fanbase of all Peruvians and this is just the beginning, because we are planning to continue at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” said Villanueva.

A big party was held this afternoon at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, where Brazil defeated Argentina and win the gold medal in the hard-fought final match of football-5-a-side, an adaptation of football for people with a vision impairment.

The Brazilians scored the first goal during the first half and, despite the multiple attempts of both teams, the scoreboard did not change before the halftime interval. The public filled the sports center and was impressed by the skills of these Para athletes and their attempts to score a goal.

During the halftime interval, the Lima 2019 Games official mascot Milco and volunteers invited everyone to stand up, including Argentinian and Brazilian fans, to dance to the rhythm of “Cariñito,” among other songs.

In the second half and after six accumulated fouls of the Argentinian team, a penalty kick was awarded for the Brazilian team, who scored the second goal. The final score was 2-0.

With the “Brazil champion” chants, the “carioca” team approached the grandstand area after the match to thank the fans, sing together and celebrate the victory.

Tamiris Francis, wife of number 9 player Tiago Silva of the Brazilian football-5-a-side team, said the team deserves this victory because they are really focused and very dedicated. “Being here makes me very happy, and I get excited because I’ve been following them and they’re the best,” she added.

Previously, Mexico overcame Colombia 1-0 and picked up the bronze medal.

The Peruvian Para badminton delegation, represented by Pedro Pablo de Vinatea, seeks the gold medal on the penultimate day of competition against the Brazilian Leonardo Zuffo at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games.

People who want to enjoy the Lima 2019 Ambassador’s performance against the Brazilian Zuffo, must attend the Sports Center 3 of the National Sports Village (VIDENA) at 15:00. Also, from 9:00, Peruvians Jesús Salvá and Pablo Cueto will compete for the bronze against their Canadian counterparts.

There will also be other competitions; the final of wheelchair basketball between the United States and Canada will take place in the VIDENA Sports Center 1 at 17:00. Colombia and Argentina will compete for the bronze at 14:30 in men’s competition.

The final of football 7-a-side between Argentina and Brazil will take place in the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center at 12:00. United States and Venezuela will compete for the bronze medal at 09:00.

The finals of goalball between United States and Brazil, in men’s and women’s category, will be held in the Miguel Grau Coliseum at 16:30.

Para swimming finals in 50m backstroke, 4x100m relay, 200m individual medley, among other categories, will take place in the VIDENA Aquatic Center at 09:00. The Peruvian Rodrigo Santillán will be one of the competitors.

The most outstanding Para weightlifters of the Americas will compete in the finals of 88 kg, 97 kg, 61 kg, -107 kg, +107 kg and -80 kg categories at the VIDENA Sports Center 1.

Likewise, the second day of Para taekwondo will take place starting at 09:00 and the qualified Para athletes will compete for the gold, silver and bronze medals in the K44 -75 kg, K44 +75 kg, among other categories in the final stretch of the second session, which starts at 15:00. Peruvians José Navarro and Shiroy Rentería will compete for the medals.

Finally, boccia competitions will also take place; gold medals will be defined in the individual BC4, BC3, among other categories during the first session.

This afternoon, with the support of all spectators, Peruvian Angélica Espinoza claimed the gold medal in Lima 2019 women’s Para taekwondo.

Espinoza fiercely fought for each point, beating her rival Claudia Romero from Mexico.

Each point scored by the Peruvian Para athlete was celebrated by the whole coliseum, who screamed: “Peru, Peru, Peru!” and “Cómo no te voy a querer si eres mi Perú querido, mi país bendito que me vio nacer.” (“How couldn't I love you, if you are my lovely Peru, my blessed country where I was born.”)

During the fight, spectators spelled the Peruvian athlete’s name: Angelica. Every time she scored, fans raised the letters and cheered loud for her.

At the end, Espinoza bursts with joy carrying the Peruvian flag and thanks all fans who supported her.

This event was attended by the President of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee Carlos Neuhaus, who enjoyed this Para taekwondo event.

We had not seen him in other sports venues but, without a doubt, his gesture of thanking the fans personally at the end of the competition, filled with emotion all the people who attended the Villa El Salvador Sports Center.

This is Carlos Cano Yañes, member of the Peruvian national Boccia team, who after the match against Argentinian Mauricio Ibarbure, accompanied by a person who helps him move in a wheelchair, went to the stands to the see the crowd that was cheering his name and also Peru throughout the game.

There, with halting words and tears in his eyes, Cano told the spectators: “Thank you very much for your support, on behalf of the Boccia team, thank you.” Immediately, some people were moved and began to sob and others took the cell phone to film this emotional moment of a Peruvian participating in the Parapan American Games.

Although the Peruvian lost the match against the Argentinian, the fans noticed that, in each throw of the ball and in each point, Cano showed courage and stamina.

Subsequently, through a dialog, Cano said that he carries the Peruvian flag in this sports competition with honor, pride, passion, and he shares that every time he plays.

“We as members of the Boccia national team want to give a message that our participation reaches thousands of people with impairments and also all Peruvians, so that the whole country notices that we are not invisible, that we are capable and we transmit that when we play,” he said.

He expressed that after the participation of Peru in Boccia, it is expected that more people can practice this sport and represent their country.

Boccia

Boccia is a sport of strategy and accuracy that was originally created for athletes with cerebral palsy, but it is currently played by people with different physical impairments.

In these Parapan American Games, Boccia has several sports classes divided into BC1, including athletes with cerebral palsy, who can have an assistant to perform actions such as passing the ball to them; BC2 for athletes with cerebral palsy who do not require an assistant; BC3 for those who have cerebral palsy or severe physical impairment. They participate using a ramp to throw the ball; and BC4 for athletes who have physical impairments other than cerebral palsy and throw without requiring an assistant.

The Peruvian team in these Games is made up of Dean Acosta, Carlos Cano, Javier Soto and María Cecilia Pancca.

Competitors in this sport have six balls of different colors (red and blue) and the game begins with the throwing of a white ball or target and the score is obtained for every ball that is closer to the jack than the opponent’s one.

He always had a solid dream: to see a venue crowded with fans supporting the Peruvian athletes and Lima 2019 gave him the chance to make it possible. “Para badminton for everybody” was his ideal years ago and he saw it at the VIDENA Sports Center 2 this afternoon. On the court 1, he qualified to the final in the SL3 class (Para athletes with little balance), while his partner Pilar Jáuregui also took the victory.

The Lima 2019 Ambassador had to push himself to the limit to defeat the Cuban Rolando Bello in two sets (21-14 and 21-15), in a match of highest physical effort that lasted more than 43 minutes. At the end of the match, De Vinatea asked for a round of applause for his opponent, who has been competing with him for several years in the professional circuit.

“I’m very proud to see this audience enjoying Para badminton, which is one of the first sports that evolved strongly in Peru. That’s why we’ve come to Lima 2019 with 5 years of preparation and seasoned players who reach the final stages. The support received before is now yielding results,” he said.

Pedro Pablo will compete for the gold medal against the winner of the match between Brazilian Leonardo Zuffo and Canadian William Roussy. At 15 and 21 years old, respectively, both are the new best Para badminton players in the Americas, with medals in Pan American tournaments. The competition is tomorrow at 15:00.

“I’ll face the final with the same mentality: so focused, without pressure, and fighting point by point, countering the strengths of my opponent. Surely, there will be a similar environment and with the people’s support we will try to win the gold medal,” added the Lima 2019 Ambassador.

The Peruvian Para badminton athlete and Lima 2019 Ambassador, Pilar Jáuregui, qualified to the women’s finals for the WH2 category, after beating the Cuban Maydelin Soriano 21-0 and 21-1.

This morning Pilar Jáuregui had already defeated the same opponent during Group A preliminary rounds, 21-1 and 21-7, after only 17 minutes. The Peruvian Para athlete said in an interview with Lima 2019 that after semifinals, she has taken another step towards winning the gold medal in Peru.

“I am very excited because my family and friends were here, along with ‘La Blanquirroja’ at every game. I am so thankful because they play an important part in pressuring the opponent,” she said.

PERUVIAN CELEBRATION

“La Blanquirroja” and many fans came together to the Sports Center 3 of the National Sports Village (VIDENA) in San Luis to cheer loudly for the different Peruvian athletes competing that day.

This is the case of Héctor Salvá, who never stopped receiving cheers from the stands, despite losing to Brazil’s Tavares during preliminary and semifinal rounds.  The same happened before with the Peruvian pair, Robert Fajardo and Ronald Miranda, who gave their all, but lost to the Brazilian pair, Cano and Soares, 21-8 and 21-13 in favor of Brazil.

Something similar happened to our Peruvian Alberto Cadenillas, who also lost to Brazil’s Cavali (21-10 and 21-4). Finally, Pablo Cueto and Jenny Ventocilla in mixed doubles lost to Brazil’s Almeida and Rosso, with scores of 21-19 and 21-18, in a 32-minute game.

They are Para athletes, examples of self-improvement, and share the responsibility of being Lima 2019 Ambassadors. Their mission is to promote sports, Olympic and Paralympic values.

Dunia Felices, Pedro Pablo de Vinatea, Israel Hilario and Pilar Jáuregui embody the Pan American and Parapan American Games values, such as excellency, friendship, respect, courage, determination, equality and inspiration. 

The four ambassadors continue filling us with emotion and today they will be participating in their disciplines and earning more victories for Peru. Dunia Felices will compete today in 200 m freestyle at the Aquatic Center of the National Sports Village (VIDENA). Pedro Pablo de Vinatea and Pilar Jáuregui will continue competing in Para badminton, collecting more medals for Peru; while Israel Hilario took the victory in Para cycling road today in the Costa Verde beach circuit.

The Organizing Committee of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games (COPAL) developed the Ambassadors Program to promote the sports, Olympic and/or Paralympic values through outstanding athletes and Para athletes and different communication platforms.

But, who are these outstanding athletes? Get to know them a little more:

Dunia Felices

Dunia Felices was appointed as Lima 2019 Ambassador because she is the best example of a hard-working athlete. She never gave up and, thanks to that, has achieved all her objectives since the beginning of her sports career.

The Peruvian Para swimmer won the silver medal in August 2017 at the Medellin Para Swimming Open in Colombia.  Dunia, who was born in Sarhua, Ayacucho, set a time of 1.44.39 in 50 meters butterfly.

She also claimed three gold medals at the Barranquilla 2018 Paralympic Open in 50 m and 100 m freestyle, and 50 m butterfly.

At the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games, she won a bronze medal thanks to her outstanding participation in the women's 50 m butterfly final round, category S5 (S1-S4).

Pedro Pablo de Vinatea

This Lima 2019 Ambassador is a good example of dedication and strength. Badminton has always been his passion: after losing one of his lower extremities, he continued practicing this sport until he became an excellent athlete.

Pedro Pablo worked hard and won the gold medal at the 2014 II Athletics & Swimming Open Championships held in Medellin in 2014 (Colombia).

The Peruvian Pedro Pablo de Vinatea made a great debut at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games, after beating 2-0 Brazilian Roso in the Para badminton competition.

Israel Hilario

Israel is a great Peruvian Para cyclist, whose goal was always to keep going and break down barriers. It is an example of life. After losing his leg in a motorcycle accident, he decided to continue pursuing his goals.

Hilario claimed the Para cycling world title and was crowned as the best cyclist at the World Cup, both events organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the highest cycling organization in the world.

His last competition was at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where he carried the Peruvian flag. In this event, he placed sixth.

Pilar Jáuregui

For Pilar, there were never any limits. She tried out different sports such as volleyball, surfing, basketball, tennis and badminton until she was 14 when she was affected by an illness.

Since that moment, everything changed for the better because badminton allowed her to bring out her ability and passion for sports.

She was recognized as the best Para athlete of 2018 by the the Americas Paralympic Committee and won three gold medals at the Pan Am Para-Badminton Championships 2018 in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

They are worthy ambassadors, with great social and human sensitivity, recognized for their great achievements, who seek to live in a society based on the values of sport and respect.

They will stay true to the Peruvian flag in the different competitions in which they participate at Peruvian and international levels. They will always be an example of effort and dedication for new athletes.

It is worth mentioning that a total of 1890 Para athletes from 33 countries will be in Lima until Sunday, September 1, competing in 17 sports and 18 disciplines at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. This event also provides a direct ticket for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

At the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games, Pilar Jáuregui made her debut with an important 2-0 victory over American Amy Burnett (21-4, 21-0). This is her first Group A match in the WH2 category (wheelchair).

Athletes from the football 5-a-side team said goodbye to the Parapan American Games with the support of Peruvian fans, who are called the “the best fanbase in the world” for good reason, because they never stopped rooting for the national team in every match in spite of some bad scores.

Yesterday, Peru lost 5-1 to Brazil, current world champion and Paralympic champion, and the team said goodbye to the competition. However, they received and standing ovation after the match for all their dedication and effort in the Parapan American Games.

While they were all together singing our second anthem “Contigo Perú” at Villa María del Triunfo, the athletes said goodbye and showed their gratitude for all the support they received during competition days. Likewise, after the match, many fans wanted to take selfies with the athletes.

The Peruvian fans pointed out that, despite losing some matches, they have gained a lot of experience and that will be useful in upcoming competitions. “Now, Peruvians know more about this sport and will always support us,” said a Peruvian Para athlete.

Today at 14:30 Mexico and Colombia will compete for the bronze medal and at 17:30 Brazil and Argentina will fight for the gold.

We should remember football 5-a-side is a discipline adapted for people with visual impairment and it uses a ball that makes noise. Each team consists of four people with low visual acuity and/or who do not perceive light, plus a goalkeeper without a visual impairment.