Pan-Americans in Argentina attract 14 world medallists

Athletes from 22 nations are ready to take part in the 2023 edition of the Pan-American Weightlifting Championships, taking place from March 25-April 2 in Bariloche, Argentina. This event assumes a special importance this year, as it is part of the list of qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (FRA).

Among the delegations with the maximum possible of 20 athletes (10 men, 10 women), the host country Argentina is accompanied by Colombia and United States. Mexico (19 competitors) Canada (18), Ecuador (16) and Venezuela (14) are other nations with strong teams in Bariloche.

In terms of individual personalities (around 210 athletes will compete in Argentina), no less than 14 medallists from the 2022 IWF World Championships (held in Bogota, last December) appear on the final entry list for these Pan-Americans. The host country of that IWF showcase is precisely the strongest nation on paper: with no less than eight world medallists, Colombia’s women delegation includes Rosalba Morales del Aguila (silver in the 55kg category), Yenny Alvarez Caicedo (59kg 2022 world champion), Nathalia Llamosa Mosquera (third in the 64kg) and Manuela Berrio Zuluaga (bronze in the 45kg in Bogota, but now entered in the 49kg category). Among the Colombian men’s team, we can find Francisco Mosquera (67kg world champion), Brayan Santiago Rodallegas (second, 89kg), Jhor Esneyder Moreno Torres (third, 96kg), and Rafael de Jesus Cerro (world bronze medallist, 109kg).

Canada will bring its female star Maude Charron (third in Bogota, 59kg), Ecuador will count on Angie Paola Palacios Dajomes (bronze, 71kg) and Tamara Salazar Arce (also bronze in Colombia, 81kg category), the United States will bring Martha Rogers (world silver in 76kg), Mexico has entered Ana Gabriela Lopez Ferrer (third, 55kg), and Venezuela is in Bariloche with its male champion Keydomar Vallenilla Sanchez (2022 gold in the 89kg category).

The list of participating countries includes: Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.

As with the Pan-American Weightlifting Championships, the remaining four continental showcases in 2023 will be qualifying events for next year’s Games in the French capital. After Bariloche, the European Championships will be held from April 15-23 in Yerevan (ARM), the Asian rendezvous will be staged from May 3-13 in Jinju (KOR), the African event is scheduled from May 11-20 in Tunis (TUN), and the Oceania showcase will be organised in Honiara (SOL), from November 20-24.