Brazil Dominates South American Games with 34 Golds, 58 Medals
Brazil dominated the competition at the 2022 South American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay, this week, winning 34 gold medals in 42 events.
The Brazilians took home nearly half of the total medals on offer, winning 58 of 127 against a filed comprised of swimmers from 14 nations. Giovanna Diamante took top honors with eight gold medals and 10 total medals.
The men’s program expectedly reigned, with 18 gold medals. But the women accounted for more total medals with 29, including 14 golds. The Brazilians won all eight relays contested. Brazilians accounted for 26 of the 32 South American Games records set.
Medal Table
- Brazil 34-16-8—58
- Argentina 5-7-9—21
- Venezuela 1-3-7—11
- Aruba 1-2-0—3
- Chile 1-2-0—3
- Colombia 0-11-13—24
- Paraguay 0-1-2—3
- Peru 0-0-4—4
Diamante was a big part of the emerging Brazilian women’s squad. She earned silver medals in the 100 and 200 freestyle, both behind countrywoman Stephanie Balduccini. (Balduccini won bronze in the 50 free behind Brazil’s Lorrane Ferreira.)
Diamante swept all three butterfly events, setting Games records in the 50 and 100. She was part of the winning women’s 400 free, 800 free and 400 medley relays, plus both mixed relay wins.
Balduccini finished with eight medals, seven of them gold, five via relays. Maria Paula Heitmann and Gabrielle Roncatto won the 400 free and 800 free, respectively, while Roncatto claimed gold in the 200 IM and silver in the 500 IM.
In breaststroke, Jhennifer Conceicao won the 50 and took bronze in the 100, Ana Carolina Vieira earned silvers in the two shortest distances and Gabrielle da Silva won the 200 breast in a South American Games record. Viera got her gold via the 400 free relay, while Conceicao did the honors on the winning medley relay.
The growing depth on the men’s side made the job tougher for the Brazilian men, with some narrow races in among the triumphs. Guilherme Costa, for instance, reigned in the 400, 800 and 1,500 free. But his Games record in the 1,500 of 15:13.51 was pushed hard by Colombian Juan Moralez, who set a national record of 15:15.59. And Costa edged Venezuela’s Alfonso Mestre by just .15 seconds in the 400. Costa added a fifth gold in the 800 free relay.
Luiz Borges won the 50 free in 22.06, but Brazilians had to settle for the two lower podium steps in both the 100 and 200 free. Guilherme Bassetto and Leonardo de Deus divvied up the backstroke honors. Basseto won the 50 in a Games record, then got edged by .023 seconds by de Deus (in 55.05) to the 100 title. De Deus romped to the 200 title in 1:59.02. He turned the 200 fly into a personal battle with Matheus Gonche, edging his countryman by .11 in 1:57.17. Gonche won the 100 fly, Gabriel Santos the 50 fly.
Caio Pumputis outraced Leonardo Santos in the 200 IM, and Brandonn Almeida set a South American Games record in the 400 IM.
Evandro Silva won the 100 breast and 200 breast, both in Games records and close finishes. He edged Colombia’s Jorge Murillo by .17 seconds in the 100 with a time of 1:01.02, then outkicked Pumputis to gold in the 200. Silva would add two relay golds for four total. Felipe Franca won gold in the 50 and bronze in the 100.
There was plenty of success outside of the Brazilians. Argentina won 21 medals, with only three coming from the men, the best Roberto Strelkov’s 50 fly silver. They swept the women’s backstroke events, with Andrea Berrino setting Games records in the 50 and 100 and Malena Santillan doing the same in the 200. Macarena Ceballos went 1:08.17 to win the 100 breast, and Florencia Perotti clocked in at 4:46.49 for a Games record in the 400 IM. The women were third in all three relays, to go with mixed relay silver and bronze.
Venezuela’s haul of 11 medals was led by the Mestre brothers. Alberto Mestre earned silver in the 50 free. Alfonso Mestre took gold in the 200 to go with silver in the 400 and 800 and bronze in the 1,500. The duo helped Venezuela earn silver in the men’s 400 free relay, bronze in the 800 free relay and bronze in the 400 mixed free relay.
Colombia didn’t win a gold medal but finished second in total medals with 24 (11 silver and 13 bronze). Omar Pinzon (silver in the 200 back) led the way with four individual medals, while Juan Moralez (silver in the 1,500 free) added three. Pinzon and Alfonso Mestre took home seven total medals each.
The Colombian women won silver in all three fly events – Sirena Rowe in the 50, Valentina Becerra in the 100 (plus bronze in the 50) and Karen Durango in the 200. Colombia’s mixed 400 medley relay (Murillo, Durango, Pinzon, Beccera) earned silver.
The only other women’s golds came via standby Kristel Kobrich, who set a South American Games record of 16:15.43 to dominate the 1,500 free. She added silvers in the 400 free and 800 free, Chile’s entire medal return.
Aruba’s Mikel Schreuders likewise accounted for his team’s total haul, winning the men’s 100 free to go with silver in the 50 free and 50 breast.
The host nation got all three of its medals on the men’s side, the bets a silver for Charles Hockin in the 50 back. Peru won four bronze medals, three in backstroke courtesy of Alexia Sotomayor. She set a national record of 2:13.80 in the 200, within a half-second of gold, and swam on the national-record, bronze-winning 400 free relay.