South American Games 2026: Joel Contreras wins MTB gold in Rafaela | OneFootball

The Argentine cyclist won the gold medal in the men’s cross-country competition on the Autódromo circuit. In the women’s event, Chile dominated the podium, while Argentines Lucía Miralles and Agustina Apaza finished in the top 10.

On the circuit located at the Curvón Sur of the Ciudad de Rafaela Autódromo, Argentina’s Joel Contreras was crowned champion and won the gold medal in the men’s mountain biking (MTB) cross-country (XC) event, as part of the second day of the Santa Fe 2026 South American Games.

Contreras completed the course in 1:24:27, averaging 22.6 km/h. In a thrilling finish, the Argentine beat Brazil’s Alex Malacarne by just ten seconds (1:24:37), with Malacarne taking the silver medal. The podium was completed by another Brazilian, Ulan Bastos, who won bronze with a time of 1:26:00 (+1:33). Meanwhile, the other Argentine representative in the event, Agustín Durán, was forced to withdraw from the race.

The champion speaks

Emotional after crossing the finish line, Contreras dedicated the achievement to his loved ones: “This is for my whole family, who supported me through a very difficult year.” He also thanked his team.

The newly crowned South American champion also highlighted the planning behind his training: “I prepared almost my entire season around the South American Games and gave it 100%, because it was my main goal of the year. I knew I needed to maintain a high pace and that the race was going to be an elimination battle.”

Action in the women’s event

The day on the Rafaela course got underway early with the women’s cross-country race, which featured 11 riders on the track. Chile’s Catalina Vidaurre won the gold medal after finishing the course in 1:14:50, averaging 19.9 km/h. The Chilean delegation secured a 1-2 finish in the event thanks to Florencia Monsálvez, who claimed the silver medal 1:12 behind. Bronze went to Brazil’s Karen Olimpio, with a time of 1:16:19 (+1:29).

For the Argentine team, Lucía Miralles delivered a strong performance by finishing fifth with a time of 1:18:43 (+3:53). Meanwhile, Agustina Apaza finished seventh in 1:20:30 (+5:40), with both riders earning places among the region’s top ten.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.