Brazil, two-time champion of the ParaPan American Games in Santiago 2023!

PATU Press.- With a total of 16 medals (4 gold, 3 silver and 9 bronze), the Brazilian team revalidated the team title in the ParaTaekwondo tournament achieved in Lima 2019, this time at the ParaPan American Games Santiago 2023, and became the first absolute Bicampeón of this competition.

The South American team won four gold medals led by Paralympic champion Nathan Torquato (-63kg), winner four years ago in Lima, but in the -61kg. Multi-medalists and world and Grand Prix leaders Silvana Cardoso (-57kg) and Ana Silva (-65kg) also shone at the top of the continental podium, along with the gold of the new star of the world circuit, Maria Machado in the -52kg.

Fabricio Marques (-58kg), Lucas Moraes (+80kg) and Debora Menezes (+65kg) added silver medals, while the nine bronze medalists were Ciero Do Nascimento (-58kg), Carlos Coelho (-70kg), Claro Lopes (-80kg), Pedro Paulo (+80kg), Tereshina Correia (-47kg), Cristhiane Neves (-52kg), Larissa Lopes (-57kg), Leylianne Ramos (-655kg) and Camila Macedo (+65kg).

At Lima 2019, Brazil (2-2-1) was proclaimed the first absolute ParaTaekwondo champion, in the debut of this specialty in the ParaPan American Games program.

At Santiago 2023, Mexico (2-5-2), Argentina (1-0-0), Costa Rica (1-0-0), Peru (1-0-0) and the United States (1-0-0) rounded out the overall podium after winning at least one gold medal in the tournament that brought together 68 competitors from 15 nations in the Americas.

The progress of countries such as Cuba (0-1-3) and the Dominican Republic (0-1-1) was also noteworthy, with several podium finishes which, together with the bronze medals of Aruba, Chile, Guatemala and Venezuela, completed the dozen medal-winning nations in the tournament held from November 23 to 25 at the Contact Sports Center of the National Stadium in Santiago de Chile.

In Santiago 2023 ParaTaekwondo starred in a significant expansion in the number of competition categories, going from three to five weight divisions per gender, for a total of ten gold medals to be distributed, which in turn resulted in a significant increase in participants compared to Lima 2019, where there were 47 competitors, compared to the 68 who climbed the octagon in Chile representing 15 countries.

Notables e icónicas figuras del parataekwondo deslumbraron al mundo en Santiago de Chile, en una competencia que sirvió como preámbulo al Clasificatorio Paralímpico Continental en abril 2024 previsto a celebrarse en Santo Domingo, República Dominicana.

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champions Leonor Espinoza (Peru -47kg) and Nathan Torquato (Brazil -63kg), won with authority their second consecutive Parapan American Games, marking a milestone in this specialty for the continent, a feat emulated by Silvana Cardoso (Brazil -57kg) and Evan Medell (USA +80kg), who were heroes in Lima 2019 and established themselves as legends with their gold medals in Santiago 2023.

Mexico's Ivan Torres (-58kg) and Fernanda Vargas (+65g) were the only members of the Mexican team to raise their arms as champions in Chile, in a team that advanced to seven of ten finals.

Costa Rica surprised with the victory of Andres Molina in the -80kg while Argentina's Juan Samorano, Paralympic medalist at Tokyo 2020, took top honors in the -70kg.

In the women's division, Brazil's Maria Machado dominated the -52kg in a clear demonstration that made her visible as the new star of continental parataekwondo.