24 victories in Parapan American Games
The Colombian paralympic delegation brought home a staggering 90 medals from the Parapan American Games in Toronto. With 24 gold, 36 silver and 30 bronze medals they by far surpassed the 54 medals obtained in Guadalajara. With five gold medals, 16 year-old swimmer Carlos Serrano stood out with an all-time best performance. In athletics, Juan Moreno Márquez picked up three gold medals in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres on the track.
High diving
At the World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, the Colombian medal candidate, Orlando Duque, couldn’t retain his title. The 40 year-old high diver from Cali got a total score of 571.55 in six dives. The title went to British top favourite Gary Hunt with 629.30. Duque, the titleholder was in 11th place after the first day but a fantastic last jump took him into the sixth spot. Countryman Miguel Garcia, finished in a respectable ninth place, 26 points behind Duque.
Juan Pablo Montoya retains lead in IndyCar series
Despite an eleventh place finish at the GP Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Juan Pablo Montoya retains the lead in the Verizon IndyCar series. The 39 year-old racer from Bogota lost 33 points to his rival Graham Rahal as he won the race. With only two races to go, it’s all still to play for as Montoya holds nine points over Rahal and 34 over Scott Dixon. And in 15th place, 22 year-old Bogotano, Gabby Chaves is almost certain to take the title for rookie of the year.
Disappointing performance at Archery World Championships
Colombia took just one bronze medal at the Archery World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. World number one and bronze medallist in the compound discipline, Sara López, got knocked out in the semifinals by Crystal Gauvin from the USA. López expressed, “Even though it was a bronze medal, it feels like gold because it was very difficult to get because of the rough conditions,” referring to the Danish cold and rain. The next big tournament for the Colombian delegation will be the World Cup in Medellin, the same place where Sara López set a world record in 2013 as the first woman to hit a perfect 150 score.