Colombia reached 30 gold medals and maintained third place in the medal table of the 2026 South American Games in Santa Fe at the end of the fifth day, on September 17. The delegation added four titles, one silver, and two bronzes, totaling 73 medals.
The Colombian team ranked behind Brazil, which leads with 117 medals, and Argentina, the host country, which has accumulated 101. Although there is a clear gap with the top two spots, Colombia consolidated its advantage over Chile and Venezuela, its immediate pursuers.
The day began for Colombia with 26 gold medals, 23 silver, and 17 bronze. By the end of the day’s events, the numbers adjusted to 30 golds, 24 silvers, and 19 bronzes, highlighted by victories in BMX racing, bowling, and weightlifting.
In BMX racing, Nicole Foronda and Mateo Carmona contributed two of the new gold medals. Foronda won all three heats of the women’s final with times of 36.487, 36.633, and 37.383 seconds, securing first place, while Ecuadorian Domenica Mora and Brazilian Paola Reis completed the podium. Carmona excelled in the men’s competition with a time of 31.804 seconds, surpassing Argentine Gonzalo Molina and Venezuelan Jholman Sivira.
The third gold medal was achieved in the bowling discipline, where Juliana Franco and María José Rodríguez won in women’s doubles, with Colombia followed by Aruba in second place and Venezuela in third. This represented the first gold for Colombia in this category at the South American Games.
The fourth victory of the day came from weightlifter Rafael Cerró, who secured gold for the total. Cerró mentioned that, despite having to cancel one of his attempts, he had more commitments on his sports agenda, including a championship in Mexico that will serve as a qualifier for the next season.
At the end of the fifth day, Brazil had accumulated 41 golds, 43 silvers, and 33 bronzes, totaling 117 medals. Argentina remained in second place with 31 golds, 28 silvers, and 42 bronzes, summing up to 101. Colombia ended with 73 medals, maintaining an 18-medal lead over Chile, which took fourth place with 55, and Venezuela, which finished fifth with 51.
The medal ranking is calculated first by the number of golds, before the total number of medals accumulated.
Source: www.infobae.com
