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Santana Franco, Ferreira da Silva lead Brazil’s golden haul at Para South American Games

15 July 2026

Valledupar, Colombia

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Brazil’s Eugenio Santana Franco proved age is no barrier as the 66-year-old claimed the W1 men’s individual gold medal at the Para South American Games in Valledupar, Colombia.

The world number eight and top seed defeated Chile’s Victor Manuel Saiz Bocaz 6-2 in the final to secure his first international title since winning gold at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games. It was also Saiz Bocaz’s second individual international medal, following his bronze at Santiago 2023.

Earlier in the competition, Santana Franco teamed up with Juliana Cristina Ferreira da Silva to win the W1 mixed team title with a straight-set victory over hosts Colombia. Ferreira da Silva – the 2024 Pan American Para Championship Champion and top seed in Valledupar – completed a golden double by defeating Chile’s Mariela López Carrasco to win the W1 women’s individual title.

Brazil’s success continued in compound women, where former world number one Jane Karla Gogel defeated fellow Brazilian Helena Nunes de Moraes 129-125 to claim individual gold.

The pair had earlier combined to win compound women’s doubles gold with a commanding 138-114 victory over Colombia.

Santana Franco, Ferreira da Silva and Gogel were among the five Brazilian para archers who represented the country at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

A new champion emerged in compound men as Ecuador’s Joffre Javier Villavicencio Galecio secured the biggest victory of his career.

The third seed, who won compound mixed team silver at Santiago 2023, maintained a narrow advantage throughout the final to defeat Colombia’s top seed Cristian David Correa Alvaran 128-122.

Hosts Colombia celebrated success in recurve men through local favourite Héctor Julio Ramirez .

The Santiago 2023 bronze medallist recovered from a slow start to defeat compatriot Jairo Fabian Burgos Rincon 6-2, winning the final three sets after trailing early in the match.

The Colombian pair had earlier claimed recurve men’s doubles gold with a 5-1 victory over Brazil. Ramirez also teamed up with Maira Alejandra Mosquera Rocha to win recurve mixed team gold, again defeating Brazil by the same score.

Peru’s Daniela Cecilia Campos Marzano secured her country’s only gold medal of the competition after defeating home favourite and top seed Mosquera Rocha 6-4 in the recurve women’s final.

The world number nine recovered from a difficult opening, which included a one-point arrow, to claim her first international title since Santiago 2023.

In the visually impaired category, Brazil’s Gustavo Mendes De Araujo defeated Ecuador’s Gabriela Tatiana Pilco Romero 6-4 to claim the second international title of his career.

The first visually impaired champion crowned at the 2022 Pan American Championships added another major title to his growing résumé with victory in Valledupar.

The competition marked a historic milestone for para archery in the Americas, with regional stars writing the first chapter of the sport’s Para South American Games history.

Images courtesy of Americas Paralympic Committee.