In the absence of the presentation of Paola Bonilla and Rosalba Chacha in the marathon (Friday, August 6, 4:00 p.m.), the Ecuadorian delegation in Japan played a more than positive role: three medals (two gold and one silver) and three Olympic diplomas.
The Tokyo Olympics will be remembered forever in Ecuador. Not only because of the sports results, but also because the country led the largest delegation in history (48 athletes).
For the first time in 15 participations in an Olympic event, Ecuador achieved three medals: two gold (Richard Carapaz and Neisi Dajomes) and one silver (Tamara Salazar).
Without neglecting the three Olympic diplomas harvested by Angie Palacios, Alfredo Campo and Luisa Valverde. In addition, Lucía Yépez could give the country the fourth diploma, if she finished eighth in the fight.
In Tokyo there were also heartwarming stories and performances, as in the case of Claudio Villanueva, Paola Pérez, David Hurtado, Samantha Arévalo, Juan Caicedo, Anicka Delgado and many more.
Balance of the Ecuadorian delegation in Tokyo
Archery
Adriana Espinosa de los Monteros became the first Ecuadorian woman to compete in the Olympic Games in that discipline. In the qualifying round of the recurve bow modality, the Guayaquil-born was ranked 62nd.
Already in the tie, Espinosa de los Monteros lost 6-0 to Korean Chaeyoung Kor Kang, one of the competition’s favorites.
Sport’s shot
Marina Pérez and Diana Durango said goodbye to Tokyo after a demanding qualifying round in the 25 meter pistol mode, in which only the eight best (out of 44 participants), were installed in the final stages.
Pérez, who participated in his second Games, ended thirteenth. While Durango, who had his first Olympic experience, He was ranked 38th.
Table tennis
Alberto Miño lost in the first round to American Nikhil Kumar, 4-2, in a game that lasted 59 minutes.
The 30-year-old athlete from Guayaquil played his first Games, after securing a place in the pre-Olympic in Rosario, Argentina, which took place in April of this year.
Judo
In his presentation in Tokyo, Lenin Preciado received three warnings and was disqualified against the Bulgarian Yanislav Gerchev. The judoka qualified for the Games after finishing 22nd in the 60-kilogram Olympic ranking.
On the other hand, Estefanía García and Vanessa Chalá also they fell in the round of 32, by ippon, in the categories 63 and 78 kilograms, respectively.
Boxing
The Ecuadorian delegation had four representatives in boxing in Tokyo 2021: Julio Castillo, Jean Carlos Caicedo, Maria José Palacios, Érika Pachito.
With the exception of Caicedo, who qualified for the round of 16, all were eliminated in the first round. For this edition, a better performance was expected from the tricolor, especially from Castillo, who was the most experienced and participated in his third Games.
Cycling
In the road cycling event, Richard Carapaz and Jonathan Narváez had an impeccable race. Everything went smoothly. Although Carapaz did not arrive as one of the favorites, He showed all his intelligence and took the gold.
In Tokyo, the carchense showed why he is one of the best riders in the world. Power, good race reading and a lot of concentration. At 28, he is going through the best moment of his sports career.
On the other hand, in BMX racing, Alfredo Campo and Doménica Azuero also had outstanding performances. Campo qualified for the final, he finished fifth and was awarded the Olympic diploma.
Azuero, on the other hand, placed fifth in his series and did not qualify for the semifinals by one point. In any case, the Cuenca woman made history and became the first Ecuadorian woman to compete in the Games in this discipline.
Swimming
Anicka Delgado and Tomás Peribonio showcased their full potential in Tokyo, despite not getting medals. Both swimmers competed for the first time in an Olympic event.
On the one hand, Delgado broke the national record in the 100-meter freestyle (55:56) and in the 50m. Libre won her series and was the best Latin American, although she did not qualify for the semifinals.
On the other hand, Peribonio had a demanding competition in the 400 meters combined and recorded a time of 4: 18.73. He also participated in the 200 meter medley and was unlucky.
In addition, Samantha Arévalo and David Farinango faced a grueling 10-kilometer test in open water, where they came in 11th and 15th, respectively.
Surf
Surfing and Dominic Barona debuted at an Olympic Games. The Ecuadorian did not pass the repechage after adding 8.87 points and was last (five participants). Only the best three agreed to the next stage.
Equestrian
The Swiss – Ecuadorian rider Nicolás Wettstein participated in his second Olympic Games. His goal was to be in the top 20, but that didn’t happen.
In the show jumping event, the athlete finished in 41st place and received 105.30 penalty points. In the cross-country culminated in position 43 and In the training test, he was ranked 56 out of 62.
Struggle
Lucía Yépez and Luisa Valverde were the Ecuadorian representatives in Tokyo 2021. The fighters They showed rebellion and complicated their rivals.
Yépez was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Japanese Yui Susaki, but qualified for the playoffs. However, a fibrillar rupture in the thigh area did not allow him to compete.
For her part, Luisa Valverde obtained the third Olympic diploma for Ecuador, after finishing in the top eight in the 53 kilogram category.
triathlon
Elizabeth Bravo did not finish the competition, as she was relegated by one lap of difference with respect to the leaders. Despite suffering a fall with the bicycle, the tricolor got up and continued.
This was the Bravo’s third participation in an Olympic Games. In his first experience (London 2012), he finished in 49th position. On the other hand, in Rio 2016 he finished in 46th position.
Modern pentathlon
After participating in five disciplines, Marcela Cuaspud was ranked 35. It was the first participation in this discipline of the Ecuadorian in the Olympic Games.
Cuaspud competed in fencing, swimming, horse riding, athletics and laser-run, a combination of foot and gun race.
Weightlifting
Formidable. This is how the performance of the Ecuadorian weightlifting team in Japan could be described. The Tokyo International Forum witnessed the historic participation of Neisi Dajomes (gold), Tamara Salazar (silver), Angie Palacios (diploma) and Alexandra Escobar.
The tricolor weightlifters they gave an immense display of character and with a lot of technique they made 17 million Ecuadorians vibrate.
Athletics
Ecuadorian athletics also fought in Tokyo, despite not getting medals or Olympic diplomas. And he left stories of overcoming and courage like that of Claudio Villanueva, who ran the 50 kilometers marches injured.
Or the case of Yuliana Angulo, who had to do raffles and find a way to generate resources to fulfill their Olympic dream.
How to forget Paola Pérez, who was the Ecuadorian with the best position in the 20-kilometer march (ninth) and was two seconds away from taking the diploma. Impossible not to mention David Hurtado. The Quito man tested positive for Covid-19. He was isolated for a week. He recovered. He competed and finished the test.
All Ecuadorian athletes made an enormous effort. Worthy to stand up and clap your hands. Andrés Chocho, Juan Caicedo, Jonathan Amores, Marisol Landázuri, Glenda Morejón. All.
Unfortunately, Álex Quiñónez did not have the same luck. The sprinter, who was a specific medal option, was suspended from all competition for 12 months, by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Golf
Daniela Darquea has been the best Latin American in the three rounds played. In the absence of a day of competitions, the Quito is located in position 25.
The golfer had her best performance in the third round, where he registered minus six over par, with 65 hits executed.
