Every country at the 2013 Bolivarian Games was represented in the athletic events. Here is a breakdown of the teams, the medals and the best results.
Teams
Unofficial records state that 305 athletes from 11 countries participated in the XVII Bolivarian Games in 2013. The countries who entered athletes, with the number of athletes entered in brackets are:
1. Bolivia (27)
2. Chile (24)
3. Colombia (55)
4. Dominican Republic (2)
5. Ecuador (43)
6. El Salvador (1)
7. Guatemala (14)
8. Panama (9)
9. Paraguay (7)
10. Peru (69)
11. Venezuela (54)
Medals
Colombia topped the medals table with a total of 46 medals (16 gold, 19 silver and 11 bronze), ahead of Venezuela with 32 medals (10-12-10) and Peru third with 19 medals (7-4-8).
Best results
Colombia
Rafith Rodriguez and Rosibel Garcia provided the highlights for a strong Colombian team that dominated the athletics events of the 17th Bolivarian Games in Trujillo, Peru after five days of competition. Rodriguez, 24, won an impressive 400m and 800m double in the Estadio Chan Chan, equalling the national record at the shorter distance with 45.62 and then setting a Games record over two laps of the track with 1:45.14.
Rosibel Garcia also doubled, in the 800m and 1500m. The 32-year-old from Cali took the victory over 800m in 2:01.98 and set a national and Games record at 1500m with 4:09.75, edging out her compatriot Muriel Coneo, who was second in 4:09.79. The plan to force the pace to put pressure on the strong Panamanian athlete, Andrea Ferris worked in this quality performance.
Another Colombian to post an outstanding performance was Mauricio Ortega, a 19-year-old from Antioquia who set a Colombian senior national record throwing a 2kg discus 57.80m, beating the record set by Argentina’s Julio Pinero in 1994 by almost two metres.
Venezuela
Venezuelan athletes also provided many positive performances at the Bolivarian Games. Jose Gregorio Pena won the 3000m Steeplechase with a games record of 8:26.6, smashing the previous record of 8:48.7 set by Colombia’s Víctor Manuel Mora at the Panama Games in 1973. Pole vaulter Robeilys Peinado won with 4.30m and hammer thrower Rosa Rodriguez, the 2013 South American champion, set a Games record with 73.36m.
Ecuador
Sprinter Alex Quinonez won the men’s 100m and 200m double with 10.52 and 20.47, the latter being a Games record. The 17-year-old Angela Tenorio, won the women’s 100m title with a time of 11.47.
Gautemala
Erick Barrondo, Guatemala’s London 2012 Olympic Games silver medalist, won the 20km Race Walk with a time of 1:23:25, beating Colombia’s Jose Leonardo Montana by 18 seconds.
Peru
Ines Melchor provided the best performances for the host nation Peru by winning the 5000m and 10,000m long distance double. Melchor improved her own national record at 5000m with 15:30.63 and won the 10,000m with 33:52.9, another Games record.
Argentina
Joaquin Gomez, aged just 17, set a World youth best of 85.38m with the 5kg Hammer on home soil at the Hugo La Nasa meeting in Buenos Aires on the final day of athletics. His previous best mark was 83.00m. He is coached by his father Daniel, who was the South American champion in 1977 and 1985. All of Gomez’s valid throws were well over 82 metres: 82.54m, 82.64m, 85.38m (foul), 85.03m (foul).
