The CAO proved to be the perfect stage for the South American powerhouse to display its strength, topping the overall standings with 43 total medals and setting new continental records along the way. Swimmers from other nations also made their mark, winning medals and breaking Pan American records.
Wave of records and medals. The day began with the women’s 1500m freestyle, where Brazil’s Leticia Fassina set a record time of 16:30.86 to claim gold, followed by Colombia’s Tiffany Murillo (silver) and Brazil’s Mariana De Oliveira (bronze).
In the men’s 1500m freestyle, the podium once again featured a Brazilian double: João Campos took gold and a new record with 15:24.91, while Matheus De Freitas earned silver. Mexico’s Santiago Gutiérrez secured the bronze.
Next came the 200m individual medley. In the women’s event, Argentina’s Agostina Hein broke her own record with a time of 2:12.12 to take gold. Brazil’s Fernanda Celidonio won silver, and Mexico’s Isabella Chávez claimed bronze. In the men’s race, Guatemala’s Roberto Bonilla set a record of 2:00.89 to win gold, with Brazil’s Stephan Steverink taking silver and Puerto Rico’s Xavier Ruíz earning bronze.
The final events of the tournament were the 4x100m medley relays. In the men’s race, Brazil captured gold with a Pan American record of 4:05.92, ahead of Argentina (silver) and Mexico (bronze). In the women’s race, Argentina set a new record of 3:36.53 to take gold, with Brazil earning silver and Mexico bronze.
With that, the imposing and gleaming Olympic Aquatic Center closed its doors after five days of intense competition, filled with continental records and dozens of medals.
