Felix Sanchez will aim at defending his world title in Paris (© Getty Images)
Dominican Republic’s Felix Sánchez and Mexico’s Ana Gabriela Guevara will relive good memories of the start of their athletics stardom, in the 14th Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, a good test prior to the IAAF World Championships in Paris.
Four years ago in Winnipeg, Canada, Sanchez represented his country internationally for the first time, while Guevara clinched the gold in the 400 meters.
Then a psychology student at the University of Southern California, the New York-born athlete contacted the Dominican Olympic Committee and asked them to register him in the 400-meter hurdles. He finished fourth in a personal best of 48.60.
He is now the current World champion and his winning streak from 2001 has transformed him into a idol in a country passionate for baseball.
The 25-year old will carry the Dominican flag in the opening ceremony and is considered the most secure gold for the host nation, organizing its first ever major sporting event.
Competing in front of his own public for the first time, Felix Sanchez will try to break Brazil’s three-time winner, Eronilde de Araújo, Games' record of 48.23, looking for his sixth consecutive win of the season before traveling to Paris to defend his World title.
The Dominican Republic has won only three gold medals in the history of the Games and has only achieved two silver and one bronze in athletics. Local high jumper Juana Arrendel lost her crown in Winnipeg due to a doping offence and will start as a strong favorite for victory this time, considering her PB of 1.97.
One year after claiming the Iberoamerican title in Lisbon, Mexico’s Ana Gabriela Guevara proved her potential in the 400 meters by beating more experienced rivals from Cuba, the United States and Jamaica.
As in Winnipeg, the 26-year old from Sonora will carry the Mexican flag in the opening ceremony this Friday in Santo Domingo’s 30,000-seater Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Stadium, built in the 1970’s and restored especially for the Games.
Undefeated since the 2001 Edmonton World Championships final, Guevara will try to erase Ana Fidelia Quirot’s Games record of 49.61 and will lead her country’s 4x400 quartet, supported by Mayra Gonzalez, Magaly Yáñez, America Rangel and Gabriela Medina.
En route to the IAAF World Championships in Paris, the Mexican star has won her five races so far this year, including her second best time ever (49.34) and a world best over 300 meters (35.30).
Cuba is determined to improve its Winnipeg performance and will send 58 athletes, led by Olympic gold medallists Ivan Pedroso (long jump) and Anier Garcia (110-meter hurdles) as well as World champions Osleidys Menendez (Javelin Throw) and Yipsi Moreno (Hammer Throw).
The Island’s most decorated triple jumper, Yoelbi Quesada, will try to become the first man to win four Pan American titles in a row. Quesada is very motivated after claiming the bronze last March at the World Indoor Champs in Birmingham.
Coincidentally, the triple jump has been the most attractive discipline in the history of the Games as the World record has been broken three times in the best sporting event of the Americas: Brazil’s Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (16.56 in Mexico City 1955), Cuba’s Pedro Perez Dueñas (17.40 in Cali 1971) and Brazil’s Joao Carlos de Oliveira (17.89 in Mexico City 1975).
The world’s no.1 long jumper Maurren Higa Maggi carries Brazil’s best hopes and will aim for a golden double as she is also registered in the Triple Jump. The 26-year old won the Long Jump and finished second in the 100-meter hurdles, in Winnipeg.
This season, she bettered her own South American Triple Jump standard to 14.53 meters.
A clear favorite to dominate the medal tally, the USA will be represented by 54 men and 45 women, including nine current national champions: Eric Thomas (400m Hurdles), Jamie Nieto (High Jump), James Parker (Hammer), Aretha Hill and Carl Brown (Discus), Erica Wheeler and Breaux Greer (Javelin) , Yuliana Perez (Triple Jump) and Kristin Heaston (Shot Put).
Dawn Ellerbe (Hammer) and Hill will try to successfully defend their Winnipeg titles.
The team also features World Junior record holder Allyson Felix in the 200 meters (22.11), 1999 Pan Am silver medallist Angela Williams and 2002 World Junior champion Lauryn Williams, both in the 100.
In the flat one-lap race, Adam Steele and Mitch Potter start as strong gold medal contenders, considering their superb performances at the 2003 NCAA Championships. Steele ran a winning 44.57, only 0.01 ahead of his teammate.
As in many regional Games, the Caribbean nations’ strength is based on their sprinters and Santo Domingo should not be the exception. Bahamas’ IAAF Golden League jackpot contender Chandra Sturrup and Debbie Ferguson, winners four years ago in Winnipeg, and Jamaica’s Brigitte Foster, the fastest 100-meter hurdler this year, among other stars should leave their names in the record ledgers.
Others will try to repeat their Winnipeg wins in the Dominican capital, such as Brazil’s Eronilde Nunes de Araujo (400-meter Hurdles), Claudinei Quirino da Silva (200) and Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (Marathon), Mexico’s Adriana Fernández (5000) and Bernardo Segura (20km Walk), Cuba’s Emeterio Gonzalez (Javelin), Daimí Pernia (400-meter Hurdles), Magalys Garcia (Heptathlon) and Argentina’s Solange Witteven (High Jump) and Alejandra García (Pole Vault).
Cuban-born Mexican Liliana Allen needs one medal to equal with former compatriot Ana Fidelia Quirot as the most medalled winners in the Games. Quirot ended her successful career with four gold, three silver and a bronze, while Allen owns three gold and four silver.
Argentina’s long distance runner Osvaldo Suárez (4-2-0) and Cuban sprinters Leandro Peñalver (2-4-0), Aliuska López (3-2-1) and Miguelina Cobián (1-4-1) follow with six medals each.
The Pan American Games are considered a major waypoint on the road to Olympic glory. Great athletes as USA’s Carl Lewis, Evelyn Ashford, Bob Beamon, Wilma Rudolph, Gail Devers and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jamaica’s Donald Quarrie, Trinidad and Tobago’s Hasely Crawford, Bahamas’s Debbie Ferguson and Chandra Sturrup, Ecuador’s Jefferson Perez, Mexico’s Daniel Bautista, Ernesto Canto and Raul Gonzalez as well as Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor, Maritza Marten, Maria C. Colon, Ivan Pedroso, Alberto Juantorena and Anier Garcia savored a Pan Am medal before reaching the highest step of the Olympic podium.
This will be the Dominican Republic's most important sporting event ever. It previously organized the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1974 and 1986, as well as the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics in 1981.
Founded in Buenos Aires in 1951 and held every four years, the 14th edition of Pan American Games will be staged 1-17 August in Santo Domingo, with the attendance of over 5,300 athletes from 42 countries, competing in 35 sports.
Here are the Pan American Games records:
Event Mark Name Country Venue Year
100m: 10.06 Leandro Peñalver CUB Caracas 1983
200m: 19.86A Don Quarrie JAM Cali 1971
400m: 44.45A Ronnie Ray USA Mexico City 1975
800m: 1:45.38 Johnny Gray USA Winnipeg 1999
1500m: 3:40.26 Joaquim Cruz BRA Mar del Plata 1995
5000m: 13:30.35 Armando Quintanilla MEX Mar del Plata 1995
10,000m: 28:20.37 Bruce Bickford USA Indianapolis 1987
Marathon: 2:12:43 Jorge González PUR Caracas 1983
3000m st: 8:14.41 Wander Moura BRA Mar del Plata 1995
110m H: 13.17 Anier García CUB Winnipeg 1999
400m H: 48.23 Eronilde de Araújo BRA Winnipeg 1999
HJ: 2.40 Javier Sotomayor CUB Mar del Plata 1995
PV: 5.75 Pat Manson USA Mar del Plata 1995
LJ: 8.75 Carl Lewis USA Indianapolis 1987
TJ: 17.89A João Carlos de Oliveira BRA Mexico City 1975
SP: 20.52 C.J. Hunter USA Mar del Plata 1995
DT: 67.32 Luis Delís CUB Caracas 1983
HT: 79.61 Lance Deal USA Winnipeg 1999
JT: 79.28 Emeterio González CUB Mar del Plata 1995
Decathlon: 8170 Chris Huffins USA Winnipeg 1999
20km W: 1:20:17 Bernardo Segura MEX Winnipeg 1999
50km W: 3:47:55 Carlos Mercenario MEX Mar del Plata 1995
Rel. 4x100m: 38.18 Brazil Winnipeg 1999
Rel. 4x400m: 2:57.97 Jamaica Winnipeg 1999
Women
Event Mark Name Country Venue Year
100m: 11.07 Evelyn Ashford USA San Juan 1979
200m: 22.73 Liliana Allen CUB Mar del Plata 1995
400m: 49.61 Ana Fidelia Quirot CUB Havana 1991
800m: 1:58.71 Ana Fidelia Quirot CUB Havana 1991
1500m: 4:05.7 Mary Decker USA San Juan 1979
5000m: 15:46.32 Adriana Fernández MEX Mar del Plata 1995
10,000m: 32:56.51 Nora Rocha MEX Winnipeg 1999
Marathon: 2:37:41 Erika Olivera CHI Winnipeg 1999
100m H: 12.76 Aliuska López CUB Winnipeg 1999
400m H: 53.44 Daimí Pernía CUB Winnipeg 1999
HJ: 1.96 Coleen Sommer USA Indianapolis 1987
PV: 4.30 Alejandra García ARG Winnipeg 1999
LJ: 7.45 Jackie Joyner USA Indianapolis 1987
TJ: 14.77 Yamilé Aldama CUB Winnipeg 1999
SP: 19.34 María Elena Sarría CUB Caracas 1983
DT: 65.58 Maritza Martén CUB Indianapolis 1987
HT: 65.36 Dawn Ellerbe USA Winnipeg 1999
JT: 65.85 Osleidys Menéndez CUB Winnipeg 1999
Heptathlon 6290 Magalys García CUB Winnipeg 1999
20km W: 1:34:19 Graciela Mendoza MEX Winnipeg 1999
Rel. 4x100m 42.62 Jamaica Winnipeg 1999
Rel. 4x400m 3:23.35 United States Indianapolis 1987
see http://www.santodomingo2003.org.do for results from the competition and additional information.
