July 31, 2024, 12:33 PM
July 31, 2024, 12:33 PM
Guatemala won its first Olympic gold medal in history thanks to the victory of Adriana Ruano in the test of Olympic trap (trap) of the Paris-2024 kick-off, this Wednesday in Châteauroux (central France).
It is the second medal for the Guatemalan delegation in this quote and the second also in shooting, after Jean Pierre Brol’s bronze on Tuesday in the men’s Olympic trap category.
Before Paris-2024, the unique metal for the Central American country At the Olympic Games, it was the silver medal walker Erick Barrondo in the 20 kilometers of the edition of London-2012.
Ruano, 29, also broke the Olympic record in a final by finishing with 45 hits in 50 attemptsShe took the lead from the start, after being the only one to score a full house in the first round of five throws, and from then on she did not relinquish the top spot in the final.
She remained serious and focused throughout, wearing her blue ear protectors, and only at the end of her performance did she allow herself to show her emotions, bursting into tears of emotion.
The silver medal went to the Italian Silvana Maria Stanco (40 points) and the bronze went to the Australian Penny Smith (32).
Spain was left with a bitter taste. She managed to have two tricks in the final of six competitors, but Mar Molné came fourth and Fátima Gálvez fifth, being the third and second eliminated, respectively.
Adriana Ruano, Pan American champion last year, She started out as one of the favourites for the event, in her second participation in the Olympic Games after Tokyo in 2021.
– The injury that changed everything –
Before that, her first Olympic dream had been in gymnastics, but a spinal cord injury prevented her from attending the 2012 London Games when she was a teenager.
Then the shot appeared, sport that he learned about through the doctor who treated his illness and her brother’s best friend, as a ‘plan B’ to stay involved in the sport without putting her back at risk.
Already in the Rio 2016 Games was able to live the Olympic experience being a volunteer at the shooting center, as a prelude to her participation as a member of the Guatemalan delegation in the following two events.
A process that now culminates with its historic gold and that represents the second title for Latin America in Paris-2024, on the same day that Argentine José Torres was crowned BMX Freestyle champion.
For Guatemalan sport, July 31, 2024 It will be a historic date having achieved her highest position in an Olympic Games and the harvest of successes may not have ended in this edition.
Athletics will start on Thursday and with it the race walk, where the emblematic Erick Barrondo At 33 years old, he is part of the Guatemalan delegationIn this sport, a clear option for a medal is Luis Grijalva, fourth in the last two World Championships (2022 and 2023) in the 5,000 meters and a contender for a podium finish in one of the most notable events.
