By Steve Keating
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – The United States Pan American Games gold medal machine shut down on Thursday while track cyclist Nicholas Paul put Trinidad and Tobago on top of the podium for the first time in Santiago with a win in the men’s sprint.
After piling up 59 gold medals over the first five days of the Games the U.S. remained stuck on that number but did add to their overall total by picking up three medals at the shooting range with James Hall and Alexis Lagan taking silver in the men’s and women’s air pistol and Rachel Tozier bronze in the women’s trap.
The U.S. are also guaranteed two bronze in the boxing ring to push their overall total to 139, still well ahead of second place Mexico (30 gold/70 total) and Canada (29/83).
Paul, who had Trinidad and Tobago’s only gold at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, successfully defended his title beating training partner Jair Tjon En Fa of Suriname in two consecutive races in the best-of-three final.
Mexico had a productive day picking up four gold medals to leap frog Canada and move back into second on the table.
The Mexicans continued their domination of the modern pentathlon winning the women’s relay event to claim their fourth gold medal of the competition.
There were also gold medals taken in the racquetball women’s team event while Alejandra Zavala topped the podium in the women’s 10 metre air pistol and Yareli Acevedo Mendoza won on the cycling track in the women’s Omnium.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Santiago. Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
