Marathon Highlights Saturday Competition at Pan Ams

(ATR) The highly anticipated athletics competition of the Pan Am Games begins with the marathon Saturday morning.

The women will set off on the course used as part of the triathlon event at 7:05 a.m. Saturday morning kicking off the events of the day. The women’s marathon will be the only athletics event on Saturday.

The men’s marathon will not begin until next Saturday. Athletes will compete in the men’s and women’s 20 kilometer race walk on Sunday. The track and field events begin on Tuesday.

Three other events get their Pan Am start on Saturday, as boxing, gymnastics trampoline and canoeing slalom get underway. This is the first time canoeing slalom is on the Pan Am program.

Four sports wrap-up their Pan Am competitions on Saturday, with athletes in archery, men’s softball, swimming and wrestling all seeking the final medals in these events. This brings the total number of sports and disciplines completed to 22.

The action on Saturday also features the first day of medals for athletes in rhythmic gymnastics, the modern pentathlon and sailing.

Saturday afternoon and evening are highlighted by the semifinal matches of the men’s baseball tournament. Cuba takes on the U.S. in the afternoon while Canada faces off against Puerto Rico later in the evening in Ajax. These teams will be aiming for a spot in the gold medal match Sunday night.

Saturday marks the beginning of the second week of competition for the Pan Ams since the opening ceremony on Friday, July 10. After one week of events, the U.S. leads the medal count with 114 with Canada trailing by a slim margin of four medals at 110. Brazil holds on to third place with 73. Canada still leads all teams with 45 gold medals, with the U.S. at 40 and Brazil at 22.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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