The rainy day in Mar del Plata forced some activities to be rescheduled, but it did nothing to stop the enthusiasm of Neuquén athletes who continue to compete in the 39 disciplines in which they participate in this event. There were triumphs in boxing, badminton, 3×3 basketball, field hockey, judo, and beach handball, among others.
There were also medals, including gold for María José Cattaneo, an athlete with a disability who won the 25-meter backstroke in the competition for athletes with Down syndrome. While in conventional swimming Lola Gorlero Pizarro won the silver medal and Ana Vila from Junin obtained bronze, in the Sub shot put for athletes with cerebral palsy, Sub-16 category.
Beach handball, one of the disciplines that is making its debut in the competition program, has Neuquén as the protagonist and candidate with an ideal score for both women and men, winning everything they have played so far
On the first day the girls beat Chubut 2-1 (6-4 in shoot out) and today they did the same against Tierra del Fuego, winning 2-0. The boys were not far behind. On Tuesday they defeated La Pampa 2-0 and today they won again. This time against Catamarca, also 2-0.
Also badminton and boxing, disciplines that usually contribute to the Neuquén medal table, had a good performance today.
In badminton there was a double celebration in the men’s singles Sub-14, with the triumphs of Francesco Cappi from Angostura and Máximo Rettig from the capital, who defeated Santa Cruz and Corrientes 2-0, respectively.
Among combat sports, Dayra Garrido from Picuná defeated Celeste Biscaro from Mendoza by RSC (referee suspends combat) in the 50 kg category. Diego Ríos also won, beating Gerónimo Vélez from Santa Fe, in 63 Kg., by the same route.
Meanwhile, Alexis Acuña, weighing 57 kg, fell against Jaime Muñoz from San Juan. In judo, Nehuén Soto prevailed in his four fights against Chaco, Corrientes, Tierra del Fuego and Chubut and is shaping up to fight to enter the podium zone.
Women’s 3×3 U-14 basketball is also on the rise. The team from Rincón de los Sauces beat San Juan 10-1 and Tierra del Fuego 6-2.
In football, the surprise was given by the men’s U-14 from San Martín de los Andes who thrashed CABA 3-0, which in their debut came from a goalless draw with Misiones. For its part, the Chos Malal female U-14 team beat Chaco 3-1.
In Futsal, the female U-14 did not have the same luck since they lost 6 to 0 against Mendoza in ladies and neither could the men against Salta (4-0). Mixed football lost to Corrientes 3 to 1.
In hockey, the U-14 team of Tiro Federal de Zapala gave the blow by beating Córdoba 2-1, while the men’s team, led by Chos Malal, equaled 1-1 with Santa Cruz and beat it on Australian penalties.
In swimming, the Alta Barda swimmer Lola Gorlero Pizarro won the silver medal in the 50-meter butterfly.
In cycling, the best placed Máximo Palacios Kolff finished sixth in the U-14 mountain bike competition.
The climbing team, a discipline that also makes its debut in the Evita program, Giuliana Scollo Martínez, from Piedra del Águila, who is in the select group of eight that will seek the medal.
In athletics, Camila Villalba, who came fifth in the 100-meter hurdles, went on to the final and were also in the definition for the medal, although they did not manage to make the podium, Victoria Quezada, in the javelin throw; Fausto Pianciola and Juan Serrano in the 3,000 meters.
While they qualified for this Thursday’s final, the Zapalina Giuliana Biagorria champion this year of the South American Youth Games that took place in Rosario and who says goodbye with this test of the Evita Games in her specialty, the hammer throw and Josefina Lionetto, in high jump.
Another of the celebrations took place in rhythmic gymnastics, since the youth team went to the hands-free and ropes final.
In rugby, Neuquén could not defeat Chubut in the opening game, falling 58-0. In tennis, Neuquén won in mixed and lost in singles, with Misiones.
