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Argentina, Colombia top qualification at South American Youth Games in Panama

15 avril 2026

Panama City, Panama

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Isabella Amanda Chorvat shoots during qualification.

Archers from Argentina and Colombia led qualification at the Panama 2026 South American Youth Games on Wednesday, delivering strong performances across both recurve and compound events at the Irving Saladino Sports Complex in Panama City.

A record 67 athletes from 12 countries are competing across the two divisions, reflecting the sport’s continued growth in the region since its debut at the Games in 2022.

After 72 arrows, Argentina’s Gabriel Joaquin Tonina and Isabella Amanda Chorvat topped the recurve men’s and women’s rankings, respectively. Tonina, 16, scored 663, with 16 arrows in the 10-ring, to finish 16 points clear of Brazil’s Lucas De Oliveira Silva, also 16.

In the recurve women’s field, 15-year-old Chorvat shot 632, while Colombia’s Juana Cardona Gaviria, 16, followed closely with 629.

Chorvat, the reigning South American Champion from 2025, entered the event with confidence.

“I want to enjoy the experience, but I also see myself on the podium,” she told Argentine outlet La Nueva ahead of the competition. Her qualification result positions her well to contend for a medal.

Tonina also arrived with international experience, having won bronze at the Iguazu 2024 World Ranking Event in the under-18 recurve men’s category.

In compound, Colombian athletes set the pace. Jeronimo Agudelo Bedoya, 14, led the men’s ranking with 688, narrowly ahead of 17-year-old teammate Juan Felipe Gonzalez Correa on 684. Gonzalez recorded more arrows in the X-ring, the central zone within the 10-ring used to break ties in qualification, 19 to 18, but Agudelo’s consistency across the round secured him the top seed.

In the women’s event, 16-year-old Karina Arango led qualification with 676, with 21 arrows. Argentina’s Maria Belen Gimenez, 15, placed second with 669. Gimenez arrived in strong form, having set a new national under-18 compound record of 658 points at an open-air tournament at the Metropolitan Archery School on 22 March.

Jeronimo Agudelo Bedoya shoots during qualification.

Athletes are competing at distances of 60 metres in recurve and 50 metres in compound, with qualification results determining seeding for the individual, team and mixed team events.

The standings also shaped the mixed team competition.

Brazil secured the top position in the recurve women’s team ranking thanks to consistent performances from 16-year-old Luiza Langone and 17-year-old Nicolly Miranda Paulino Pinheiro, who placed third and fourth with scores of 624 and 621. Argentina’s second archer, 15-year-old Bianca Gonzalez, finished fifth on 611.

Conditions in Panama City were stable throughout the day, with temperatures around 29°C and light winds averaging 2.5 km/h.

The archery competition at the 2026 South American Youth Games runs from 15 to 18 April, within the wider event taking place from 12 to 25 April, bringing together more than 2000 athletes from 15 nations.

Open to competitors aged 14 to 17 (for archery, this corresponds to the under-18 category), the event serves as a key development platform for emerging talent and a pathway towards future international competition.

The archery competition continues with team matches on Thursday.

Images courtesy of Juegos Suramericanos de la Juventud Panamá 2026.