Amado Cruz made Belize proud at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, finishing first in the final Group B of the Men’s K1 1000m canoe race. Overall, he placed 9th in this discipline of games with a total time of 3 minutes, 51.69 seconds (3:51.69).
Cruz almost qualified for the final in Group A, a medal race, but fell short by a second in the semi-final of the Men’s K1 1000m canoe sprint. In the women’s division, Diana Velasquez and Avis Guydis finished second in the final B of the Women’s K2 500m and ranked in the 10th position. Other Belizean athletes included Ashantie Carr in Athletics, Brandon Jones competing in the Men’s Triple Jump, and Trent Hardwick in Sailing.
In Athletics, Carr hit her best in the Women’s long jump Final, scoring 5.89 meters. She placed eighth in this competition. Jones was injured in the Men’s Triple Jump and only made three attempts. In the last one, he recorded a jump of 17.9 and ended in ninth place. Meanwhile, Hardwick finished 22nd in the Sailing competition.
The Pan American Games were held from October 20th to November 5th. This sporting event is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports with thousands of athletes in various competitions. These games are held every four years in the year before the Summer Olympic Games, which will be held next year in France.
Team Belize represented the Jewel well, and the athletes said they would continue working hard and win their country an Olympic gold medal soon. The team returned to Belize on Tuesday, November 7th, and were cheerfully welcomed at the Philip Goldson International Airport by those following their efforts at the Pan American Games.
