Brazil best at South American U-23

Even at the end of a long season and with many of its most prominent athletes resting or not at the top of their form, Brazil, the main power in South American athletics, won the second edition of a hotly contested area Under-23 Championships, which ended on Sunday (12) as a part of the 8th South American Games (“Juegos Odesur”).

For the first time in the past 39 years, the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires, served as the venue of a South American Championship. The last South American Championships hosted by Buenos Aires took place in 1967 at the old track of the “Parque Chacabuco”. This time, the venue was in the neighborhood of Nuñez, on the track of the “Cenard” (Centro Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo).

The Colombian team also had an outstanding tournament and obtained the highest number of gold medals (11 against 10 from the Brazilians).

Junior farewell for Chiaraviglio

The weather, at the end of the spring below the Equator, was excellent, and several good performances were recorded.

One of the most recognizable figures of South American athletics, 19-year-old Argentinean Germán Chiaraviglio, was perhaps the highlight of the entire event with his 5.65m clearance in the Pole Vault, where he unsuccessfully attempted 5.81m, a “would-be” World Junior Record.

With this competition Chiaraviglio ends his campaign as a junior athlete after having a wonderful 2006 season where he won the IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing, placed 3rd at the IAAF World Cup, and also took the title at the South American and Ibero-American Championships, all, leaving his personal best at 5.71m. In Buenos Aires, Germán was followed by his older brother Guillermo, who set a PB of 5.20m.

Good performances at the Shot

Argentinean Germán Lauro (22 years-old, from Trenque Lauquen, Province of Buenos Aires) took advantage of his spinning technique to throw the shot at 19.78m, a new South American U-23 record (the only of the weekend), and national record.

Also at the Shot, promising Chilean Natalia Ducó (17-years-old, finalist at the 2006 IAAF World Junior Championships) won with 16.36m, setting a new South American U-18 record, and missing the Chilean national record by only 3cm.

Emerging talent

The main purpose of this under-23 championship, which is to keep promoting young athletes, seems to be on its way to being achieved, with a group of talented youngsters given a great chance to prove their value in Buenos Aires.

Ecuador’s Franklin Nazareno, a 200m finalist from the 2006 IAAF World Junior Championships, won this event in a windy mark of 20.76, but also bettered his national junior record of 100m to 10.45, to take second place after Chile’s Kael Becerra (10.33).

Guyana’s Cleveland Forde gave his country a rare victory at a distance event by taking the 5000m in a national record time of 14:07.08, and in a junior duel, Peruvian Mario Alfonso Bazán won the 3000m Steeplechase in 8:49.76 (NR), followed by Venezuelan José Gregorio Peña (8:50.88/NR-j).

Uruguayan Andrés Silva added a new national record to his collection by running the 400mh in 50.46 to take the victory, Paraguayan Víctor Fatecha (4th in Beijing) won the javelin in 75.45m, and Ecuadorian Hugo Chila, silver medalist in Beijing, took the Triple with 16.12m.

Colombian female supremacy

The Colombian team took the victory in the women’s team competition, recording all its 11 victories by its female athletes. The Colombian girls were especially strong on the track, winning all events from 100m to 3000mSt.

Its most prolific athletes: Darlenis Obregón, who took the 100 and 200, Muriel Coneo (800m and 1500m), and Lina María Arias (5000m and 10000m).

Still, one of the most remarkable performances belonged to the local Jennifer Dahlgren in the Hammer. The 2006 NCAA Champion for the University of Georgia won with 66.78m, yet, far from her 72.01m South American record.

Results -
Men -

100m (0.9 m/s) (10)
1 Kael Becerra CHI 10.33
2 Franklin Nazareno ECU 10.45 NR-j
3 Daniel Grueso COL 10.47
200m (2.3 m/s) (12)
1 Franklin Nazareno ECU 20.76
2 Cristián Reyes CHI 20.88
3 Daniel Grueso COL 20.92
400m (10)
1 Andrés Silva URU 46.69
2 Geiner Mosquera COL 46.70
3 Josner Rodríguez VEN 46.94
800m (10)
1 Kléberson Davide BRA 1:51.20
2 Eduar Villanueva VEN 1:51.24
3 Freddy Espinoza COL 1:51.31
1500m (11)
1 Eduar Villanueva VEN 3:51.54
2 Cleveland Forde GUY 3:52.46
3 Éder da Silva BRA 3:52.63
5000m (10)
1 Cleveland Forde GUY 14:07.08 NR
2 Joílson da Silva BRA 14:09.46
3 Sérgio da Silva BRA 14:09.95
10000m (12)
1 Sérgio da Silva BRA 29:52.06
2 Jason Gutiérrez COL 30:17.19
3 Alexander de los Santos URU 30:28.93
3000m St (12)
1 Mario Bazán PER 8:49.67 NR/NR-j
2 José Gregorio Peña VEN 8:50.88 NR-j
3 Santiago Figueroa ARG 8:54.50
110mh (10) (2.6 m/s)
1 Rodrigo Pereira BRA 13.81
2 Éder de Souza BRA 13.82
3 Jorge McFarlane PER 14.43
400mh (11)
1 Andrés Silva URU 50.46 NR
2 Raphael Fernandes BRA 50.55
3 Sebastián Lasquera ARG 51.60
HJ (11)
1 Fábio Baptista BRA 2.14
2= Wanner Miller COL, Albert Bravo VEN 2.11
PV (12)
1 Germán Chiaraviglio ARG 5.65
2 Guillermo Chiaraviglio (hijo) 5.20
3 João Gabriel Sousa BRA 5.10
LJ (10)
1 Thiago Jacinto Dias BRA 7.74/0.3
2 Louis Tristán PER 7.59/2.7
3 Hugo Chila ECU 7.53/0.7
TJ (11)
1 Hugo Chila ECU 16.12/1.4
2 Thiago Jacinto Dias BRA 16.00/2.0
3 Jhon Freddy Murillo COL 15.48/1.7
SP (10)
1 Germán Lauro ARG 19.78 NR/AR-23
2 Jiovanny García COL 17.57
3 Gonzalo Riffo CHI 17.02
DT (12)
1 Germán Lauro ARG 57.51
2 Ronald Julião BRA 55.13
3 Gustavo de Mendonça BRA 52.06
HT (10)
1 Diego Gallardo CHI 63.95
2 Douglas dos Santos BRA 60.38
3 Max dos Santos BRA 60.03
JT (11)
1 Víctor Fatecha PAR 75.45
2 Júlio César de Oliveira BRA 72.10
3 Ignacio Guerra CHI 70.10 NR-j
Dec (11, 12)
1 Carlos Eduardo Chinin BRA 7253
11.11 7.47/3.6 12.42 1.97 49.56
15.05/3.1 35.82 3.50 51.27 4:31.47
2 Luiz Alberto de Araújo BRA 7140
3 Gerardo Canale ARG 7013
4x100m (11)
1 VEN (Merchán, Chirinos, Rivas, Amaya) 39.95
2 BRA 40.15
3 COL 40.20
4x400 (12)
1 BRA (Bargas, Davide, Fernández, de Almeida) 3:08.38
2 CHI 3:10.08
3 COL 3:11.28
20000m Walk (11)
1 James Rendón COL 1:28:05.0
2 Oswaldo Ortega ECU 1:30:47.0
3 Yerko Araya CHI 1:31:31.0

Women -
100m (1.9 m/s) (10)
1 Darlenis Obregón COL 11.73
2 Yomara Hinostroza COL 11.97
3 María Carolina Díaz 12.09
200m (1.7 m/s) (12)
1 Darlenis Obregón COL 23.23
2 Wilmarys Álvarez VEN 23.56
3 Vanda Ferreira Gomes BRA 23.80
400m (10)
1 María Alejandra Idrobo COL 53.90
2 Wilmarys Álvarez VEN 54.03
3 Ángela Alfonso VEN 54.89
800m (10)
1 Muriel Coneo COL 2:07.78
2 Marcela Britos URU 2:08.97 NR
3 Nicole Manríquez CHI 2:09.84
1500m (11)
1 Muriel Coneo COL 4:25.56 NR-j
2 Isabel Cristina da Silva BRA 4:28.25
3 Sabine Heitling BRA 4:28.57
5000m (10)
1 Lina María Arias COL 16:52.04
2 Nadia Rodríguez ARG 16:54.31
3 Sandra Amarillo ARG 16:57.48
10000m (11)
1 Lina María Arias COL 35:16.74
2 Zuleima Amaya VEN 35:17.89
3 Nadia Rodríguez ARG 35:32.48
3000m St (12)
1 Ángela Figueroa COL 10:29.35
2 Sabine Heitling BRA 10:37.38
3 Ingrid Galloso CHI 10:50.46
100mh (1.9 m/s) (10)
1 Soledad Donzino ARG 13.78
2 Fabiana Morães BRA 14.30
3 Gisele de Albuquerque BRA 14.43
400mh (11)
1 Higlécia da Silva BRA 60.88
2 Keila Escobar COL 61.74
3 Daisy Ugarte BOL 61.95 NR
HJ (12)
1 Marierlis Rojas VEN 1.87 NR
2 Caterine Ibargüen COL 1.85
3 Daiana Sturtz ARG 1.79
PV (10)
1 Keila Monterola VEN 4.10
2 Milena Agudelo COL 4.10
3 Patrícia dos Santos BRA 4.10
LJ (10)
1 Caterine Ibargüen COL 6.32/1.1
2 Tânia da Silva BRA 6.05/-1.2
3 Patrícia Venâncio BRA 6.01/2.9
TJ (11)
1 Tânia da Silva BRA 13.35/1.8
2 Caterine Ibargüen COL 13.26/2.5
3 Mayra Pachito ECU 12.61/0.7 NR
SP (11)
1 Natalia Ducó CHI 16.36 NR-j
2 Ahimara Espinoza VEN 15.06
3 Keely Medeiros BRA 14.57
DT (12)
1 Karen Gallardo CHI 52.01 NR
2 Rocío Comba ARG 48.08
3 Lisângela da Cruz BRA 46.19
HT (10)
1 Jennifer Dahlgren ARG 66.48
2 Eli Johana Moreno COL 61.64
3 Rosa Rodríguez VEN 59.77
JT (11)
1 Diana Rivas COL 50.91
2 Yusbeli Parra VEN 48.88
3 Juliana de Souza BRA 46.55
Hep (10, 11)
1 Jaílma de Lima BRA 5304
14.73/1.2 1.64 10.66 24.56/2.2
5.69/3.5 39.59 2:27.30
2 Madeleine Rondón VEN 5266 NR-j
3 Miriam Quiñónez ECU 4945
4x100m (11)
1 COL (Caicedo, Idrobo, Obregón, Hinostroza) 45.14
2 CHI 46.63
3 VEN 46.80
4x400m (12)
1 VEN (Jiménez, Alfonso, Navas, Álvarez) 3:41.30
2 COL 3:41.92
3 ECU 3:45.77
20000m Walk (11)
1 Yadira Guamán ECU 1:39:53.0
2 Luz Villamarín COL 1:39:59.0
3 Magaly Andrade ECU 1:48:26.0

Team classification
1 Brazil 336 (198 Men + 138 Women)
2 Colombia 276 (85 + 191)
3 Argentina 174 (91 + 83)
4 Venezuela 173 (72 + 101)
5 Chile 131 (67 + 64)
6 Ecuador 90 (45 + 45)
7 Peru 35 (28 + 7)
8 Uruguay 30 (24 + 6)

Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF