Rayssa Leal wins Brazil’s first gold at the Pan – 10/21/2023 – Sport

Rayssa Leal, 15, won Brazil’s first gold medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago. The teenager performed very well and led the competition in skate street by a comfortable margin, obtaining 236.98 points.

It was a Brazilian double. Silver was obtained by Pâmela Rosa, 24, who got most of her maneuvers right and scored 211.34 points. The podium was completed by the American Page Heyn, with 176.35.

The superiority of Brazilian athletes was clear from the beginning. They have already opened up a big advantage over their competitors in the part of the competition with two 45-second laps, with multiple acrobatics.

Afterwards, with five attempts for a single maneuver, the positions were consolidated. It soon became clear who would own the gold and silver. It turned into a fight for the bronze, won by Heyn.

“This medal was very special. Once again, representing women’s skateboarding and Brazil very well”, said the young woman, who already has an Olympic silver medal on her CV. Now, in the debut of her sport at the Pan, she is gold.

“It’s going to go down in history, because it’s the first Pan-American skateboarding championship. For me, it’s surreal. I managed to get my tricks right. So it’s just happiness. The whole crowd was cheering, it felt like I was in Brazil. I’m very happy.”

The cold afternoon in Santiago wasn’t a problem for Rayssa, with thermometers showing 12ºC. She obtained 76.03 points in the first part of the contest, in her best lap. In the single maneuvers, she had just one error, discarded from the final calculation, and scored a 76.72 and an 84.23.

Only Pâmela presented a relatively similar level, but not even her compatriot was a match for the Maranhão native. A few rounds before the end of the competition there no longer seemed to be any doubt as to who would be at the top of the podium.

The triumph does not qualify for the Paris Olympic Games, but Rayssa’s classification is well on track. She is second in the Olympic ranking, and Pâmela is in seventh place. Tenth placed, also Brazilian Gabi Mazetto is another in the classification zone.

“We prefer not to think so much about Paris now, because, like it or not, it’s a little far away. Some championships will come before,” said the Pan-American champion, who, she doesn’t deny, is working to reach the peak of her form for the tournament in France. “Yes, it is training for the Olympics.”

Before glory in street skateboarding, Brazil had obtained its first podium at the Pan de Santiago in mountain biking. Cyclist José Gabriel won bronze in the competition, placing his country in the medal table.