Argentina won two new medals in the athletics competitions held at the Stade de France. Rosario native Brian Impellizzeri won gold in the T37 long jump and Pergamino native Alexis Chávez won bronze in the T36 100 metres. Los Murciélagos qualified for the semi-finals and Inñaki Basiloff competed in a new final.
Brian Impellizzeri returned to the Paralympic podium after winning a silver medal in Tokyo 2020, but this time he went to the top by winning the T36 long jump event to obtain the second gold medal for the Argentine delegation in Paris 2024, the first time since Atlanta 1996 that our country has won two gold medals in the same Paralympic Games.
The Rosario native jumped 6.42 meters, also recording 6.40 and 6.37, to take first place in a convincing manner, leaving the Kenyan Samson Opiyo in second place and the Brazilian Mateus Evangelista in third, both with a time of 6.20.
“Since I started training with Martín (Arroyo) in 2017, it was a dream come true. Hearing the Argentine anthem was a huge thrill. I’m super happy with the work I’ve done and this achievement, which I think was the link in the chain that we were missing,” said the Pan American champion in Santiago 2023, World champion in Paris 2023 and now Paralympic champion in Paris 2024 after collecting the medal.
Alexis Chávez was the other Argentine to get on the podium, winning the bronze medal in the 400m T36 after setting a new American record with a time of 53.60, finishing behind Australian James Turner (51.54) and New Zealander William Stedman (52.92). “It was a very fast race, I was able to achieve what we came for, which was to lower my time and also get this medal,” said the Pergamino native after getting on the podium.
The Argentine performance in athletics was completed by Candela Cerrudo, who was 12th in the 100m T13 with a time of 13.51, and Aldana Ibañez, who finished 16th in the 100m T47. In the swimming pool at Arena La Defensa, Iñaki Basiloff competed in the final of the 100m backstroke S7, finishing in eighth place with a time of 1:15.87, earning a Paralympic diploma, and Elizabeth Noriega finished 12th in the 50m backstroke S5 with a time of 49.77.
The Murciélagos advanced to the semifinals in 5-a-side football for the blind after defeating Japan 1-0 with a goal by Osvaldo Fernández, to stay in second place in Group B with five points. This Thursday at 3 p.m. they will seek a place in the final when they face Brazil in the South American classic.
Argentina’s mixed pairs BC3 boccia team, made up of Stefania Ferrando and Rodrigo Romero, won 7-3 against the Czech Republic and lost 3-2 to Hong Kong to qualify for the quarter-finals in second place in Group C. They will face Greece on Thursday, starting at 13:40, for a place in the semi-finals.
Constanza Garrone lost 3-0 to Italian Giada Rossi in the quarter-finals of the WS1-2 table tennis class. Hugo Alderete competed in sabre, finishing 15th after losing in his round of 16 match to Hungarian Istvan Tarjanyi and in the repechage to American Noah Hanssen.
