Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games: Everything you need to know about Para Athletics!

During five days, the Centro Atletico Mario Recordon at the National Stadium Complex in Chilean capital Santiago will host the best of Para athletics in over 124 medal events. 

There will be 407 athletes from 26 nations competing from Tuesday to Saturday (21 to 25 November). 

Para athletics has been part of the Parapan Am programme in all seven editions, since the inaugural Games in Mexico City 1999.  Eight world records were set in the last Parapan Am Games at Lima 2019.

Here is how to follow and all you need to know about the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games. 

Schedule

Day one will see 24 champions crowned. The men’s long jump T11/12 is the first on the schedule. Cuba’s Leinier Savon is the defending champion from Lima 2019.

But it is another Cuban athlete that will be among the highlights of day one. Omara Durand was one of the flag bearers in the Opening Ceremony and will be chasing more gold in the women’s 200m T12.

The Santiago 2023 Para athletics competition schedules can be found below. 

Day one (Tuesday, 21 November)

Day two (Wednesday, 22 November)

Day thee (Thursday, 23 November)

Day four (Friday, 24 November)

Day five (Saturday, 25 November)

Ones to Watch

Cuba’s Durand will arrive in Santiago to wrap up a fantastic 2023 season that saw her pick a hat-trick of golds at the Paris 23 World Championships in July (women’s 100m, 200m and 400m T12). 

The Cuban sprinter also collected three golds in her last two participations at the Parapan Am Games (Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019) and will be defending them at the Centro Atletico Mario Recordon.

Brazil topped the medals table in Para athletics at Lima 2019 with 33 golds and 82 podium finishes. Petrucio Ferreira was responsible for two of those gold medals with his victories in the men’s 100m and 400m T47.

Back-to-back Paralympic and world champion in the 100m he is in a league of his own. He will be running the 100m and will be part of Brazil's universal 4x100m relay team.

Colombia’s Karin Palomeque will be making her Parapan American Games debut and aiming for more glory after her outstanding performances at the World Championships in Paris.

The Colombian picked three gold medals (women’s 100m, 200m and 400m T37) and broke two world records in the French capital (100m and 200m). She is set to compete in five events in Chile (100m, 200m, 400m, long jump and the universal 4x100m relay).

Canada’s world champions will be absent in Santiago but Paris 23 silver medallist Noah Vucsics is a name to watch. He missed the World Championships gold in the men's long jump T20 by only 5 centimetres. This year’s Parapan Am is also his first.

The women’s 200m and 400m T47 will see in action a Venezuelan star who had her breakthrough at Lima 2019. Lisbeli Andrade took gold in the 400m in Peru and two years later was on the top of the Paralympic Games podium in Tokyo in the women’s 100m and 200m T47.

Local hopefuls

Hosts Chile will be represented by 13 athletes in Para athletics with one defending Parapan American champion and a Paralympic gold medallist among them.

Mauricio Orrego gave Chile its only Para athletics victory at Lima 2019 in the men’s 1500m T46. Francisca Mardones put Chile on top of the podium at Tokyo 2020 in the women’s shot put F54.

Mardones was also the Chilean medallist at this year’s World Championships with a bronze on the same event.
Veteran Cristian Valenzuela is a London 2012 Paralympic champion and a national hero. He was chosen to light the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony in Santiago. 

Newcomer from ice

The Parapan American Games will mark the international debut of a Canadian athlete who was used to the ice rinks. Billy Bridges is Canada’s most successful Para ice hockey player and has entered the world of Para athletics in 2023. He will compete in the men's javelin and shot put F55 in Santiago. 

Beijing 2022 was his sixth Paralympic Winter Games and Bridges won his fourth career Paralympic medal – and second straight silver for Canada in Para ice hockey. He also has a gold from Torino 2006. 

How to follow

The Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games will be streamed live on the PanAm Sports Channel.

More information about the athletes and complete results can be found here. 

You can follow Santiago 2023 on World Para Athletics social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (X).