Bariloche, Final Day: US team gets three continental titles
USA and Ecuador shared the medals at stake in the sixth and last day of the Pan-American Championships, organised in Bariloche (ARG). In the four last finals of the event, the new continental champions were Dayana Mina Torres (ECU) in the women’s 87kg, and then US Mary Theisen-Lappen in the women’s +87kg, Wesley Kitts in the men’s 109kg and Alejandro Medina in the men +109kg.
Torres’ win was clear, after a 100kg snatch and a 133kg clean and jerk, for a total of 233kg. The silver linings also went to the same athlete, Mexico’s Laura Jimenez Cazares, with 97-121-218. The bronze was reserved for Cecilia Rodriguez, from Uruguay, also consistent with 92-105-197kg.
In the heaviest women’s category, it was a thrilling fight between two North Americans. Theisen-Lappen was the best in C&J (158kg, for a winning total of 272kg), but had to content with silver in the snatch (114kg), behind her teammate Sarah Robles (120kg, plus bronze in C&J in 151kg, and silver in total with 271kg). The remaining medals went to Nayuri Perez Reveron (VEN, third in the snatch, 111kg, and also overall bronze in 256kg), and to Lisseth Ayovi Cabezas (ECU, silver in the C&J in 153kg).
Among men, Kitts’s victory was also not easy, after a winning snatch at 165kg, the second-best attempt in C&J (200kg), and a victorious total in 365kg. His main opponent was Mexico’s Josue Medina Andueza, winner in the clean and jerk (201kg), second in the snatch (162kg) and silver also in the overall count (363kg). The bronze medals were earned by Hernan Vera Espinoza (PER) in the C&J (195kg) and total (337kg), while Dayan Aguirre Reyes (MEX) completed the podium in the snatch (146kg).
In the men’s +109kg, Medina won with 385kg, but let the gold in the snatch go to Dixon Arroyo Valdez (MEX, 174kg) and to the other US representative, Caine Wilkes, in the C&J (212kg). Medina was second in both events, with respectively 173kg and 212kg. Wilkes was bronze medallist in the snatch (172kg), Valdez was third in total (374kg), and Gilbert Lemus Calanche (GUA) got the last medal in the C&J, lifting 200kg.
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