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

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

On the circuit set up at the Curvón Sur of the Rafaela City Autodrome, Argentina’s Joel Contreras was crowned champion and won the gold medal in the men’s cross-country (XC) mountain biking (MTB) 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 (1:24:37) by just ten seconds, as the Brazilian took 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, had to withdraw from the competition.

The champion’s voice

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.

In turn, the newly crowned South American champion highlighted the prior planning of 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 at the Rafaela circuit began early with the women’s cross-country competition, 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 in fifth place with a time of 1:18:43 (+3:53). Agustina Apaza, meanwhile, finished seventh in 1:20:30 (+5:40), with both riders placing among the region’s top ten.

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