Continental Champions Program is a medal example of support for Peruvian athletes

The lack of support for national athletes is an endemic evil in Peru. It is worth remembering that the national soccer passion, usually little reciprocated with the results, contrasts with the mountains of obstacles that our champions in other disciplines must cross.

A good example that should be replicated is the Continental Champions program, which in addition to academic benefits, provides its outstanding and highly competitive athletes with professional support with a multidisciplinary team of nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychologists.

11 of these Continental students attended the recent Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile:

1. Kimberly García LeónAdministration student at Continental University Florida (20 km walk and mixed marathon walk relay).

2. Anita Poma MendozaDentistry student at the Huancayo campus (1500 meters and 800 meters flat).

3. Sofia Mamani Arizapanastudent of Public Administration and Management at the Arequipa campus (10,000 flat meters).

4. César Rodríguez DiburgaArchitecture student at the Huancayo campus (20 km walk and marathon mixed relay walk).

5. Veronica Huacasi Montestudent of Administration and International Business at the Cusco campus (3000 meters with obstacles).

6. Thalía Valdivia Magariñolaw student at the Huancayo campus (10,000 flat meters).

7. Christian Pacheco MendozaPsychology student at the Huancayo campus (Marathon).

8. Luis Ostos CruzLaw student at the Cusco campus (Marathon).

9. Kevin Altamirano, Industrial Engineering student in the Distance Learning modality. (Air gun).

10. Efraín Sotacuro QuispeAdministration student at the Huancayo campus (1500 meter dash of the Parapan American Games).

11. Yeny Vargas Cruzstudent of International Business and Administration at the Arequipa campus (800 meter dash of the Parapan American Games).

As the country already celebrated, Christian Pacheco gave Peru the first medal of these continental competitions when he won gold in the marathon, with a time of 2h 11m 14s. Another Continental student, Luis Ostos, won the bronze medal in the same race with a time of 2:12:34.

“I am infinitely grateful to God and at the same time I also want to express my gratitude to the Continental University for giving me the opportunity to develop professionally and the facilities to continue representing my country,” Pacheco wrote on his networks.

Kimberly García also won gold in the race walk with a time of 1:12:26, ​​followed by the Ecuadorian Glenda Morejón, with a record of 1:12:43, and the Peruvian Evelyn Inga, with 1:14:16.

García is already one of the great world figures in the specialty, with a double gold at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene in the 20 and 35 km and a silver in Budapest.

“Kim” repeated the feat with César Rodríguez, and both won the silver medal in the 42-kilometer race walk. Rodríguez, a UC Architecture student, passed the baton to Kimberly, who secured the silver medal with a joint time of 3 hours, 1 minute and 14 seconds. They could only be surpassed by the Ecuadorian athletes, who won gold, and the Brazilian duo that won the bronze medal.