Saturday, November 18th, 2023.-
In a display of their entire prowess, the United States defeated Chile convincingly with a score of 62-27.
They won the first quarter 17-4, by the end of the second, their lead had already extended to 30-10, and in the third, they further widened the gap to 47-15. Only the last quarter, with the result already decided, was a bit more balanced.
The top scorer of the game was the American Zion Redington, with 26 tries, while Christian Madariaga stood out for Chile with nine.
Canada made their debut with a resounding victory over Argentina, winning 63-30, making it clear that they are strong contenders to compete for the gold medal against the United States.
Both teams from the northern part of the continent have contested the two Parapan American finals in the discipline since wheelchair rugby was introduced to the program at Toronto 2015. In the inaugural version, the victory went to the Canadians, while at Lima 2019, the Americans prevailed.
Based on their performances in their debuts in Santiago, it would be no surprise if they face each other again in the decisive match.
In the first game of the day, the United States defeated Chile 62-27. Following suit, Canada did not lag behind and overcame the Argentinians with an equally convincing difference.
The first of the four quarters was the most balanced, with the Canadians leading 12-6. However, in the second and third quarters, they significantly widened the gaps, winning both 16-8, to close the last quarter with their widest advantage (19-8).
The top scorer of the game was Zachary Madell, with 17 points.
Colombia achieved a narrow victory against Brazil in mixed wheelchair rugby in the third round of the day held at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos, winning 55-48 to the applause of the audience.
The first half ended with a 14-12 advantage for Brazil, while the second was a tie at 14. In the third, Colombia took the lead 16-11, and in the final quarter, they confirmed their superiority, winning 13-9, sealing the victory for the team that won bronze in Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019.
Colombia’s Jhon Orozco was the top scorer with 36 tries, followed by his teammate Julián Vargas with 7, and Edgar Vanegas with 4.
The final match of day 1 was USA v Argentina. Argentina fought hard, but USA fought harder, as they took home their second victory of the day.
Sunday, November 19th, 2023.–
Colombia secured its second match in the preliminary phase of mixed wheelchair rugby at Santiago 2023, defeating Chile 56-26 at the Estadio Nacional’s Centro de Deportes Colectivos.
The Colombians took the initiative from the early stages and were vastly superior throughout the game. Despite all their efforts and the support of the packed crowd, Chile couldn’t alter the course of the game. They made too many mistakes and lost possession 20 times, ultimately paying the price.
Colombia played the second quarter with two women who displayed great potential. Meanwhile, Jenny Barraza played the third quarter for Chile.
The standout player of the match was the Colombian David García, who scored 21 tries and made five steals. His teammate Christian Ordoñez added 12. Once again, Christian Madariaga was the top performer for Chile, with 10 tries and two steals.
The quarter scores were 16-7, 15-8, 14-5, and 11-6, resulting in a final score of 56-26 for Colombia, which aims to at least replicate the bronze medals won at both Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019.
David García, the leading scorer of the match, said, “It was a good game. We made good tactical changes, and we’ve come to win and enjoy the landscapes of Chile.”
After defeating Argentina in the opening match, Canada maintained its undefeated record in the tournament and had no major difficulties in beating Brazil 62-41.
At the Centro de Deportes Colectivos at the Estadio Nacional, Brazil only offered some resistance in the last quarter, which ended tied at 14. However, Canada’s superiority was evident from the first minute, winning the first quarter 16-8, the second 15-10, and the third 17-9.
Zachary Madell from Canada, with 13 tries and four steals, became the standout player of the match. “More than being the top scorer, the important thing is that the team is playing well with an eye on Paris,” he noted.
The Brazilians Gabriel Feitosa and Rafael Hoffmann were the top scorers, both with 10 tries.
In an entertaining, closely contested, and very tough match, the United States remained unbeaten by defeating Colombia 57-42 in their third wheelchair rugby game of the tournament.
Except for the last quarter, which Colombia won 17-15, the other partial scores favoured the U.S. team by 16-7, 12-7, and 13-11. This performance underscores their status as favourites to win the Parapan American gold and secure a spot at Paris 2024.
Their top scorer was Charles “Chuck” Aoki with 19 tries, followed by Sarah Adam with 15. The rugby player shared her thoughts after the match, saying, “It was an exciting game, definitely felt like the first time the team clicked, everything was in sync, it was a fun game to play. A bit more intense with Colombia, who has some really excellent players. We came out respecting them, but we wanted to show that the United States was going to be dominant from the start.”
The player also talked about the upcoming match against Canada on Tuesday, which has become a classic in the sport. She said, “That’s the game we really look forward to. They’re always great matches when we play against Canada, very competitive games, and we match up well with them. It will be exciting to watch. I hope we can go to Paris on behalf of the team. We definitely look forward to that. But now our focus is on what we play here, sealing our pass to Paris. And we have work to do early next year too.”
On the other hand, Colombia, ranked tenth, managed to complicate things for the winners in a very tough and heavily contested match.
Once again, Colombian David García was the top scorer for his team, with 11 tries.
At the end of the day, Brazil defeated Argentina in a contested match, where the Brazilians prevailed 58-37, as part of the preliminary round of Group A.
Monday, November 20th, 2023.-
As expected, Canada, ranked fifth in the world and aiming for gold and tickets to Paris 2024, easily overcame Chile on the third day of the preliminary phase at Santiago 2023.
At the Centro de Deportes Colectivos at the Estadio Nacional, the North Americans won 60-27, marking their third consecutive victory, while the hosts are still seeking their first win.
Canada took the lead 4-0 just 37 seconds into the first half, setting the tone for the entire match. They left Chile without an outlet, forcing them to lose possession due to the 40 second rule and the ten-second rule, both due to the inability to play against the opponent’s strong defence.
The scores for each period were 20-8, 14-4, 13-6, and 13-9, resulting in a final score of 60-27.
Canadian player Matthew Debly, with 17 points, was the top scorer of the match. He commented, “Chile was a worthy opponent. We came here to try to secure a direct spot for Paris, and we know that the United States is the team to beat.” Once again, Christian Madariga was the top scorer for Chile, with 13 tries.
The United States won 54-36 against Brazil in the third round of wheelchair rugby at Santiago 2023.
In one of the best matches of the competition, the North American team (gold medallists at Lima 2019) had to showcase a significant portion of their prowess to secure the victory, keeping them undefeated ahead of the preliminary phase match against Canada.
From the start of the match, the teams showed no mercy, engaging in a highly tactical duel with many defensive fouls due to physical contact.
The first and second quarters were highly contested, both ending 13-9 in favour of the Americans, who sealed the victory with a convincing 18-8 in the third quarter. The final period ended in a 10-10 tie, resulting in a final score of 54-36.
Brazil had a lively crowd, known as “movimiento verde amarelho a torcida do Brasil,” which continued to cheer despite their team’s defeat.
Charles “Chuck” Aoki of the United States, considered one of the best players in the world and the scorer of 20 points on this Monday, expressed being “quite surprised by the growth of rugby in Latin America. Brazil was a tough opponent in the first two quarters. We’re not thinking about Paris 2024, but that’s our goal.”
Julio César Braz was Brazil’s top scorer with 10 tries.
Chile suffered a clear defeat in the classic encounter with Argentina. In Group A, the “albiceleste” unquestionably prevailed with a score of 77-34.
The Argentinians quickly took the lead in the beginning with a score of 17-8. The superiority was maintained throughout the following three periods, and only in the fourth quarter was there a closer contest, with a 19-11 advantage for Argentina.
President Gabriel Boric was present in the stands, visibly enthusiastic alongside the crowd whenever Chile hinted at a comeback. However, in the end, like the entire local fanbase, he had to accept Argentina’s superiority in the classic match.
Tuesday, November 21st, 2023.-
Canada have found success in the Centro de Deportes Colectivos. Since their debut last Saturday until now, they have only known victories, and today, they defeated one of their toughest rivals, their neighbours from the United States.
The first quarter favoured the Americans with a tight score of 12-11, but Canada turned the game around with a partial score of 12-10 to go into halftime with a 1-point advantage.
With that minimal difference, they played the last two quarters, where they managed to extend the lead to finally win the match by 5 points.
The path of the only undefeated team in Santiago 2023 has been successful with wins over Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and the United States. In this way, Canada, with its candidacy displayed, advances to the semifinals of these Pan American Games.
After an intense day, Colombia and Brazil headed for the wheelchair rugby semifinals after the end of the qualifying round at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos at the Estadio Nacional.
In a close match, the Colombians overcame Argentina 56-50. Then, Brazil did the same against Chile, with a comfortable 66-28.
Thus, both teams will face the semi-finals against the United States and Canada, respectively, on the penultimate day of the competition.
Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023.-
The wheelchair rugby has its first finalist at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games, as the United States celebrated at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos of Estadio Nacional.
In a closely contested match, the North American team prevailed over Colombia in the first semifinal of the day, with a score of 52-45.
The standout player for the Americans was Charles Aoki, who scored a total of 24 tries, while the Colombian Jhon Orozco was the top scorer of the match with 27 goals.
Another confirmed final has emerged in the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games, as Canada secured the second spot to compete for gold in wheelchair rugby.
The North American team played a high-level match against their counterparts from Brazil, defeating them 60-45 at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos of Estadio Nacional.
The standout player on the field was the Canadian Matthew Debly, who scored 15 tries, leading his country to victory.
The final is confirmed, and it will be against the United States, a rematch of the match they played in Lima 2019, where Canada emerged as the winner.
Argentina defeated Chile 64-46 in the battle for the fifth position.
From the first minute, the game was in favour of Argentina, showcasing their greater experience in the sport and dashing Chile’s hopes of securing their first victory in the competition.
The Argentine team went into halftime with a lead of 31-21 (18-11 and 13-10), maintaining this advantage in the last two quarters (16-13 and 17-12) to secure the victory.
Joselino Gómez was Argentina’s top scorer with 15 points. “This is my first Parapan American Games, and even though we came with the aspiration to go further, it couldn’t happen, but we leave satisfied,” he said.
Chile’s Christian Madariaga, who scored 21 tries for his team, appreciated the experience gained in Santiago 2023. “It was a great experience, and hopefully, in a couple of years, we can compete for a South American medal,” he stated.
Thursday, November 23rd, 2023.-
With tears and hugs, the Brazilian players celebrated the bronze medal they achieved in the wheelchair rugby competition at Santiago 2023. They had plenty of reasons to do so: by defeating Colombia 57-52, they avenged their two previous losses in the Parapan American Games in Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019, both also for the third place against the same opponent. Additionally, they secured a spot in the qualification tournament for Paris 2024.
The match was highly contested and characterized by tight marking, constant physicality, and few errors. However, the Brazilian strategy yielded better results, especially in one-on-one marking, where they stole many balls. The five-point advantage they gained in the second quarter was maintained until the end.
Gabriel Feitosa was the standout player of the match, scoring 33 points. Very happy, he stated, “We played a very good game. We never lost our marks, and we won the contested balls. Happy because we could change the history here in Santiago.”
John Orozco from Colombia (scoring 26 points) said, “It was a close and intense match. They made fewer mistakes than us. That’s how it goes; there is always a winner and a loser, and this time, we couldn’t celebrate.
The wheelchair rugby final was a spectacle between two world powers. The United States and Canada delivered an intense match, the last of the discipline at the Collective Sports Center in the National Stadium. The result? A close 57-51 victory for the Americans.
Both teams had faced each other in the two previous Parapan American finals. In Toronto 2015, Canada emerged victorious, while in Lima 2019, the United States secured the win. In Santiago 2023, the Americans retained their title and earned spots for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, Canada and Brazil (bronze medal) will have to go through a repêchage to try to qualify for the “City of Light” games.
The match featured a lot of physicality, constant tactical changes, blocks, and man-to-man marking, without giving each other any breathing space. All quarters were won by the Americans, but with minimal differences.
Charles “Chuck” Aoki, considered one of the best players in the world, scored 28 tries, although Canadian Zachary Madell, with 36 points, was the top scorer of the game.
