The tricolor team occupies the eighth place in Cali with 25 medals, of which 5 are gold, 6 silver and 14 tan.
The Ecuadorian David Hurtado obtained the title of 20,000 meters run on the track, test that opened the second day of athletics competitions by the Junior Pan American Games, Cali-Valle 2021, detailed the press department of the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee (COE).
Since qualifying for the Colombian competition, the tricolor was already leading the U23 continental ladder; For this reason, for this Wednesday in Cali he was considered a favorite to obtain the gold medal.
The champion of the 20 km march crossed the finish line after 1 hour, 21 minutes, 55 minutes; very close to the Ecuadorian arrived the Brazilian Matheus Correa, with 1 minute, 22 minutes, 18 seconds; while the third place was occupied by Guatemalan José Ortiz, which timed 1 hour, 23 minutes, 47 seconds. He too Ecuadorian Gonzalo Bustán He finished sixth, putting in 1 hour, 27 minutes, 36 seconds.
“I feel very happy, we come out of a general stage, so technically we are just fine-tuning details for next year that competitions are to come, the technical part was one of the biggest concerns for us, ”said Hurtado.
The champion explained that he already expected that the brazilian is a tough opponent, because a month ago he was proclaimed South American champion U23 of the tournament in Guayaquil, where Hurtado was not at the starting line because he already had his quota for the Cali Games.
Hurtado during the test made his level felt from the beginning of the competition, took the lead and by demanding their rivals, they were wearing out. As one of his strategies, the Ecuadorian preferred to save energy for the end. When half of the competition was fulfilled, the Ecuadorian took over the leadership and did not let go of the lead until the end, beating Ortiz by one lap and taking a considerable advantage over the Brazilian, who he looked a little more tired because of the demand that he had upheld in the first part.
“It felt great,” Hurtado said. “The first kilometers were of a lot of analysis of the climatic conditions, of observing the rivals. I knew that from kilometer 10 the test was going to begin. We took into account that there was going to be a lot of humidity, heat and, above all, great rivals like José Ortiz and the Brazilian Correa, who has just won the South American in Guayaquil, we took into account that there was going to be a great quality of athletes online”He added.
In addition to being the first gold medal for Ecuadorian athletics in the Pan American Games in Cali, it has a very special and personal meaning for the marcher. “This medal is dedicated to my grandfatherHis name was Jorge Hurtado, unfortunately he passed away last month, this medal is dedicated to him ”.
Hurtado ranks 13th in the world rankings and this year it was 19th at the Tokyo Olympics. The brand was not the priority for the Ecuadorian in Cali, but to win the gold. “Time for us was not a determining factorWe only tried to take the gold, we succeeded and that is the most important thing ”.
With the victory in Cali, Hurtado obtained the direct ticket to the Absolute Pan American Games Santiago 2023. Now he encourages his compatriots who are still in competition to play a good role. “We have great representatives in our sport and I hope the medals keep coming”.
This Friday the 20,000m women’s march will be held, in which Ecuador will be represented by the multiple international medalist Glenda Morejon, favorite for the gold medal, and Paula Torres.
At the medal table at noon this Wednesday, Brazil tops the rankings with 35 gold, 24 silver and 34 bronze medals; second place is occupied by the hosts (Colombia), with 31 gold, 21 silver and 36 tan; while Mexico, with 29 gold, 48 silver and 21 bronze metals, it ranks third.
Then appear USA, with 28-16-21; Argentina, 11-11-21; Cuba, 7-8-6; Chile, 5-9-18; Ecuador, 5-6-14; Puerto Rico, 4-1-6; Dominican Republic, 3-4-6; Venezuela, 3-3-10, Canada, 3-1-2; Uruguay, 2-1-2; Aruba, 2-1-0, among others. (D)
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