Lime.-. The twins, Fernanda and Rafaela Munar Solimano, painted the XXIX Junior Pan American badminton red and white when they played the final of the championship in the Mexican city of Acapulco.
In a very close and exciting match, Fernanda won the gold medal by beating her sister Rafaela with partial numbers of 15-21, 21-16 and 21-18, who won the silver medal, in the sub-17 category. as well as Peru achieved a gold medal after 7 years and, for the first time in the history of this sport, two Peruvians dispute the first and second place.
During the championship, held from July 18 to 23, the “Inca twins” beat great rivals, including the top favorites of the contest. While Fernanda beat Andrea Li of the United States in the semifinals by 17-21, 21-16 and 21-16; Rafaela did the same with fellow American Nicole Krawzcyk 18-21, 21-11 and 21-11.
Peruvians have been playing badminton for 10 years, having managed to obtain gold and silver medals in championships played in Finland, Canada, Slovenia, Germany, Belgium and Brazil, as well as in national tournaments.
Undoubtedly, what was done by the 15-year-old Munar sisters, makes Peru dream of medals in the next Olympic Games, Fernanda and Rafaela’s goal in the future.
We must appreciate the great effort of the talented twins, who in some years could be the athletes that give Peru the second Olympic gold medal in history (the first and only was achieved in shooting, Edwin Vásquez, in the Olympiad of 1948).
The Munar sisters were on the verge of achieving the gold medal in women’s doubles in this same championship, losing tightly in the final 21-18 and 21-19, achieving the silver medal.
