South American Games: “The fans make it feel like home” | OneFootball

This was stated by the Santa Fe medalists who are part of the teams that won medals this Monday in gymnastics and fencing. Looking to make the most of their home advantage, they highlighted the presence of students and the full venues. “The local support lifted our spirits and boosted our performance,” they agreed.

The 13th South American Games Santa Fe 2026 continue moving forward steadily across the province, bringing together more than 4,000 athletes from 15 countries in search of continental glory. They are competing in 43 sports and 60 disciplines, in an event that also grants direct qualification to the Lima 2027 Pan American Games in 26 specialties, raising the level of demand each day. Argentine athletes are looking to make the most of competing at home against the powerhouse nations they face, and along that path, Monday was a great day for the sky-blue-and-white medal tally, which brought in 21 medals, 9 of them gold, with Santa Fe athletes playing leading roles in gymnastics, fencing, and swimming.

From Santa Fe to the world

At the Arena Invencible in Rosario, the Argentine artistic gymnastics team won four medals: two gold and two bronze. One of the gold medals was earned by the team made up of Emilia Acosta, Isabella Ajalla, Fila Dalinger, María Delfina Estoco, Rocío Saucedo, and Julieta Lucas, who ended Brazil’s 32-year dominance. Julieta Lucas won the other gold in the individual all-around, while Emilia Acosta took bronze after finishing third.

The gymnasts celebrated this Tuesday in the Rosario Olympic Village the medals they earned after months of intense training, dedication, sacrifice, and discipline, highlighting “the support and unity of the team” as decisive factors. “We felt the support of the crowd, which makes us feel at home,” the Argentine athletes said, while also praising the organization of the Games. “For the individual competitions, we will stay focused on our personal goals, but without stopping supporting each other as a team,” they stressed.

The other bronze medal came from the men’s artistic gymnastics team, made up of Ivo Chiapponi, Luca Alfieri, Daniel Villafañe, Nahuel Pardo, Matías Coralizzi, and Santiago Mayol. Looking back on the achievement, Alfieri said that “as a local athlete, being able to experience this and enjoy these sporting accomplishments makes me feel happy along with the whole team,” and assured that the goal is “to go toe to toe with the powerhouses” in order to “win as many medals as possible and leave Argentina at the very top.” The Rosario gymnast highlighted what it means to compete with the support of the crowd from his city: “It pushed us forward, and I don’t think the results we got were a coincidence—the crowd was part of our performance,” while acknowledging that they hope to keep counting on “all that energy, which helps us a lot when competing, since it’s not common to compete at home,” in addition to praising “the Argentine fans, who always have something special.”

The home support makes itself felt

Meanwhile, fencing events continued at the Salvador Bonilla stadium of Club Atlético Provincial. In the men’s individual foil, Augusto Servello won the gold medal by defeating his compatriot Andrea Nigosanti 15-10, who took silver. Both highlighted that it was a competition of the highest quality, in which they were able to display their best skills and star in an exceptional final between two Argentines. “We were able to put on some very good fencing, bring out our best weapons and the highest level possible,” Servello said.

Nigosanti described the day as “incredible” because of the support from the Argentine crowd, which he said “is really felt—it lifted our mood and our excitement as well.” The athletes strongly valued the presence of students and the full stadium: “The local support lifted our spirits and boosted our performance, although at some moments we had to ask them to lower the chanting so we could hear the referee’s instructions,” they agreed, while also noting that “we rarely compete in front of so many people, and this experience may bring new spectators to fencing.”

The full and updated schedule can be found at santafe2026.ar, where visitors are also advised to check for possible changes in times or venues before attending. To enter the sports venues and take part in the Games’ activities, it is necessary to download the free QR code available on the official website. The same code also grants access to the Fan Fest and the other Games venues and is valid throughout the day.

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