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Colombia wins 11 medals at Panama 2026 South American Youth Games

18 April 2026

Panama City, Panama

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The podium for the compound mixed team final at the Panama 2026 South American youth Games.

Colombia delivered a statement performance on the final day of archery at the Panama 2026 South American Youth Games, securing 11 medals – including four gold – to top the standings at the Irving Saladino Sports Complex in Panama City.

The tally put Colombia five medals clear of Argentina, which finished with six, while Brazil and Ecuador each claimed four.

Team events opened finals day, producing a series of tight contests across recurve and compound divisions.

The recurve men’s team final set the tone, as Brazil’s Felipe Fogliarini Tim and Lucas De Oliveira Silva edged Argentina’s Gabriel Joaquin Tonina and Thiago Barbieri, 5-4, in a tiebreaker. Both teams shot 17 with their final arrows, with Brazil taking gold by being closest to the centre. Colombia secured bronze in straight sets over Ecuador.

A similarly tight finish followed in the recurve women’s team event. Colombia’s Juana Cardona Gaviria and Salome Duque Gonzalez defeated Chile’s Sabrina Nicolette Nuñez Castillo and Matilda Ureta, 5-4, sealing gold with an 18-17 tiebreak advantage. Argentina took bronze after a 6-0 win over Brazil.

“It is a feeling that has many emotions: pride, happiness and a little nostalgia after reflecting on all the effort that was done,” Cardona said.

Argentina found its breakthrough in the recurve mixed team event, where Isabella Amanda Chorvat and Gabriel Joaquin Tonina defeated Peru’s Penélope Arandiel Bustamante Peralta and Santiago Gabriel Vasquez Leon, 5–1, for gold. Colombia’s Cardona and Gómez Meneses added bronze.

In compound, Brazil produced one of the day’s biggest surprises, as João Nunes and João Pedro Venturini de Brito defeated Colombia’s Juan Felipe Gonzalez Correa and Jeronimo Agudelo Bedoy, 149-147, to win the men’s team title. Ecuador took bronze.

Colombia responded in the women’s compound team event, as Julieta Tobon Montoya and Karina Arango defeated Ecuador for gold, with Chile taking bronze.

“It’s a big achievement for me, to show all my progress,” Tobon said. “Everything I do in this sport, all my efforts and achievements, are reflected in this medal.”

Arango added a second gold in the compound mixed team event, teaming with Agudelo to defeat Ecuador, 157-148.

The competition, held from 15 to 18 April within the wider Games (12-25 April), brought together a record 67 archers from 12 countries. Athletes aged 14 to 17 competed at 60 metres in recurve and 50 metres in compound, underlining growing regional depth.

Finals day then shifted to individual competition in the afternoon, where several standout performances shaped the podiums, with the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games later this year providing added context for many of the athletes.

Argentina’s Tonina emerged as one of the defining figures of the competition. The top seed dominated the individual recurve men’s event, defeating Thiago Barbieri 6-0 in an all-Argentine semifinal before repeating the scoreline against Brazil’s Lucas De Oliveira Silva in the final. Gómez secured bronze for Colombia.

“I started in a little town shooting four years ago, and I never imagined myself in this sport representing my country at the South American Youth Games,” Arango said. “I’m very proud of myself. It’s an amazing feeling.”

The gold marked Tonina’s second of the day after mixed team success, and he was one tiebreaker short of a third. (Colombia’s Cardona and Arango also won three medals.)

In the recurve women’s event, Brazil’s Luiza Langone defeated top seed Chorvat, 6-2, in the final, overturning expectations after the Argentine’s strong run through earlier rounds. Cardona secured bronze for Colombia.

Colombia’s strength in compound was most evident in the men’s event, where Gonzalez Correa and Agudelo advanced to an all-Colombian final. Gonzalez Correa took gold with a 144-139 win.

Agudelo’s route included one of the competition’s most dramatic moments, surviving a 142-142 quarterfinal tie against Ecuador’s Julian Josue Jumbo Rodriguez with a 10-9 shoot-off win after entering as top seed with 688. Chile’s Oscar Omar Enrique Verdugo Viñales took bronze.

In the compound women’s event, Ecuador’s Dariana Isabel Heredia Sanchez delivered a composed performance to win gold, defeating Argentina’s Maria Belen Gimenez, 143-138. Her run included a 145-142 semifinal win over top seed Arango, making the Colombian the only number one seed not to reach an individual final.

Arango rebounded to take bronze, defeating Tobon in an all-Colombian match.

“I’ve been working for a long time now, always making the extra effort for this moment, to represent my country and wear the Argentinian jersey,” Gimenez said. “I carry my country in my heart and in my blood, and this medal, even though it is not gold, represents a lot to me.”

Images courtesy of Juegos Suramericanos de la Juventud Panamá 2026.