Team Paraguay has reached 20 medals at the XIII South American Games Santa Fe 2026, following three new gold medals on Friday, 18 September. The national delegation in Argentina already has five gold, six silver and nine bronze medals across 12 sports. The latest medals came through rowing and golf, with Nicole Martínez and Sofía García becoming South American champions. Paraguay also won the mixed team golf competition, taking its total from 17 to 20 medals during Friday’s events.
Five gold medals for Paraguay
Artistic skating: Erika Alarcón won Paraguay’s first gold medal in the women’s Solo Dance event, scoring 145.76 points. Her victory gave Paraguay its first gold of the Games, ahead of Brazil’s Gabriela Giraldi and Argentina’s Delfina Veljanovich.
Speed skating: Julio César Mirena has won two medals at the Games. He took silver in the men’s 1,000m sprint before claiming gold in the men’s 10,000m elimination event with a time of 16:15.945. His victory gave Paraguay its second gold medal.
Rowing: Nicole Martínez won Paraguay’s third gold on 18 September in the women’s single sculls. She completed the race in 7:03.08, finishing ahead of Brazil’s Beatriz Tavares and Uruguay’s Nicole Yarzon. The victory was Martínez’s fourth medal of the Games.
Golf: Sofía García added another gold in the women’s individual competition. She completed four rounds with 275 strokes and a score of 13 under par, finishing ahead of Colombia’s María José Bohórquez and Argentina’s Ana Giuliano.
García later joined Milagros Chaves, Gustavo Silvero and Marcelo Ruiz to win the mixed team competition. Paraguay finished with 562 strokes, 10 under par, ahead of Colombia and Argentina. The result gave Team Paraguay its fifth gold and 20th overall medal.
Six silver medals across five sports
Cycling: Agua Marina Espínola won silver in the women’s individual road cycling time trial. She completed the course in 47:47.59, finishing 12.55 seconds behind Chile’s Aranza Villalón.
Speed skating: Mirena’s first medal came in the men’s 1,000m sprint. He recorded 1:28.226 to take silver behind Colombia’s Jhon Tascón before returning to win gold in the 10,000m elimination event.
Rowing: Nicole Martínez and Alejandra Alonso won silver in the women’s pair, recording a time of 7:19.28. Rocío Bordón and Adriana Sanabria added another silver in the lightweight women’s double sculls, finishing in 7:03.52.
Bocce: Thaila Kreuz and Marcos Moreira won silver in mixed Punta Raffa Volo. The Paraguayan pair lost 12–2 to Chile’s Franca Martini and Rodolfo Gálvez in the final.
Beach volleyball: Michelle Valiente and Giuliana Poletti won silver in the women’s tournament. The Paraguayan pair lost 2–0 to Brazil’s Carol and Rebecca in the final, with scores of 21–14 and 21–17.
Nine bronze medals complete the tally
Swimming: Charles Hockin won bronze in the men’s 50m backstroke, becoming Paraguay’s first medallist of the Games. He completed the final in 25.99 seconds, behind Brazilian swimmers Guilherme Basseto and Samuel Lopes.
Weightlifting: Alexandro Liuzzi took bronze in the men’s 60kg category with a total of 227kg. Colombia’s Duvan Ferrer won gold, while Venezuela’s Jefferson Gómez claimed silver.
Fencing: Montserrat Viveros won bronze in the women’s individual épée. She reached the semi-finals before losing a close 15–14 contest against Argentina’s Isabel Di Tella.
Esports: Verónica Chávez won bronze in the women’s EA Sports FC event, securing Paraguay’s first South American Games medal in esports. Chávez reached the semi-finals before losing 8-5 against Peru’s Patricia Pérez.
Bocce: Mariel Alves de Oliveira took bronze in the men’s progressive shooting event. His result gave Paraguay its second bocce medal alongside the silver earned by Kreuz and Moreira.
Rowing: The women’s eight won bronze, with Nicole Martínez, Alejandra Alonso, Clara Correa, Rocío Bordón, Adriana Sanabria, Bianca Wollmeister, Fiorela Rodríguez and Agustina López, with Martina Noguera as coxswain. Their 6:08.77 finish also marked Paraguay’s first South American Games podium in the event.
On 17 September, Alejandra Alonso and Nicole Martínez added bronze in the women’s double sculls. They finished in 6:54.56, behind Brazil and Chile.
They later joined Agustina López and Fiorela Rodríguez to win another bronze in the women’s four without coxswain. The Paraguayan crew recorded 6:31.78, finishing behind Chile and Argentina.
Boxing: Minerva Montiel secured bronze in the women’s 57kg category after reaching the semi-finals. She lost 5-0 to Venezuela’s Omailyn Cegovia, securing a place on the podium.
More medals could follow
Rowing has produced six of those medals, making it Paraguay’s most successful discipline at the Games so far. The medal tally could still grow, with several Paraguayan athletes and teams remaining in competition. The women’s handball team has already secured a place on the podium after defeating Colombia 40-15 on Friday, although the colour of that medal remains undecided. Paraguay will face Uruguay on 19 September as the competition continues.
The XIII South American Games continue until 26 September, giving Team Paraguay further opportunities to add to its 20-medal haul.
