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Santiago: Two of the highlight events of the Pan American Games came to an end on Wednesday, with the Games’ biggest stars – Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade and Canadian swimmer Maggie McNeill – bidding farewell in gold.
Andrade, perhaps the most interesting and charismatic gymnast since Simone Biles, brought some much-needed sparkle to this Olympics, winning four medals, including her second gold on Wednesday on the balance beam, beating teammate Flavia Saraiva.
Andrade had previously won a Pan American Games gold medal on vault, one of several individual titles she has won at the Olympics and world championships, and she also won silver medals in the team event and on uneven bars.
While Andrade had a strong showing in San Diego, she couldn’t match McNeill’s tally of seven medals, including five golds (100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle, 4×100 freestyle relay and 4×100 medley relay), the most by a Canadian athlete in any sport at a single Pan Am Games.
She won seven medals (five gold, one silver and one bronze), the most ever won by a Canadian swimmer in a single Olympic Games.
“I had no idea what the record was at all,” McNeill said. “The 100 butterfly was my goal, but other than that, I thought, ‘I’ll just see what happens’.”
In the end, it was a team effort that saw the 23-year-old McNeill win her fifth gold medal – the third butterfly swimmer in the medley relay handed the lead to freestyle swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey, who ultimately beat the American team to win the title.
Xavi also took home seven medals: three gold, two silver and two bronze.
While McNeill was the star at the Aquatic Center, the Americans dominated the competition.
With big names like Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky on home soil, the United States dominated in Chile despite relying primarily on its B team, winning 19 golds and 45 medals in 36 games.
The U.S. team ultimately performed well, winning five medals, including gold in the women’s 1500m freestyle and the men’s 4×100 medley relay.
“I understand people want to see superstars, but those superstars have to be developed one day,” said Brent Akey, the U.S. coach. “We cast a wide net in the year leading up to the Olympic trials and the Olympics to try to make sure we give a lot of guys the opportunity to get international experience, which can only make us better in 2024.”
It was also the final day of rowing, and the Americans won two more gold medals, one in the Pan Am Games’ new mixed eights event, which features crews made up of both men and women.
The United States maintained its lead in the medal table, with its total gold medals rising to 59 and its total medals rising to 134.
Canada performed well in the pool, winning four of the five gold medals in badminton, and ranked second with 28 gold medals and 76 medals, followed by Mexico with 26 gold medals and 64 medals. -Reuters
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