Colombian youth athletics confirmed its growth by achieving runner-up status in the South American U-20 Championship, held in Lima, Peru.

The national delegation added a total of 262 points, being only behind Brazil (398) and surpassing Ecuador (248).

The Colombian harvest was outstanding, with a balance of 10 gold medals, 8 silver and 5 bronze.

One of the indisputable figures was María Camila Maturana, who was recognized with the best technical mark of the championship after setting a time of 11.23 seconds in the 100 meter dash.

The athlete from Antioquia had a perfect tournament by also winning the 200 meter dash (23.39) and being part of the women’s 4×100 relay team, which won gold in 45.79 seconds.

In the men’s category, Deiner Guaitoto had an outstanding performance, becoming champion of the 200 meter dash (21.06) and the 4×100 relay (40.50).

Colombia runners-up in the South American U20 Athletics Championships in Lima

In addition, he won the silver medal in the 100 meters, in one of the closest finals, where he was surpassed by the Brazilian Michael Ruiz by only two thousandths of a second (10.203 vs. 10.205).

Another stellar moment was that of walker Ruby Dayanna Segura, who won gold in the 5,000 meter walk with a time of 22:23.84, establishing a new national record, surpassing the mark in force since 2007.

In this same test, Danna Valentina Rivera finished fourth (23:48.86), achieving the minimum mark required (24:00) to qualify for the U-20 World Cup to be held in Oregon, United States, in 2026.

The 262 points achieved confirm the consistency of the delegation’s results and ratify the growth of youth athletics in the country, a fruit of the joint work of coaches, federations and development programs.

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