The Daily Journal – The Venezuelan delegation has delivered a strong performance at the XIII South American Games Santa Fe 2026 in Argentina.
So far, the country has won 15 gold, 16 silver and 20 bronze medals, bringing its total to 51 and placing Venezuela fifth in the overall medal standings, according to recent reports.
Swimming has emerged as one of Venezuela’s most successful disciplines, with Lismar Lyon leading the way. The swimmer from Bolívar has won three gold medals in the 50-meter butterfly, 100-meter butterfly and 50-meter freestyle.
In the 50-meter freestyle, Lyon set a new South American record with a time of 25.13 seconds, surpassing the previous mark of 25.25 seconds held by Colombia’s Isabella Arcilla since the 2018 Cochabamba Games.
In the men’s competition, Jorge Otaiza won gold in the 50-meter butterfly, giving Venezuela a sweep of the men’s and women’s titles in that event. Venezuelan swimmers finished their participation with 13 medals: four gold, six silver and three bronze.
Weightlifting has contributed more gold medals to Venezuela than any other discipline. Champions include Ángel Rodríguez, who won the 85 kg category and set a junior world record in the clean and jerk with a 203 kg lift. Keydomar Vallenilla claimed first place in the 95 kg division, while Julio Mayora also captured gold in his category.
In the women’s competition, Katherin Echandía won gold in the 53 kg category, Yilihannys Jiménez claimed the 57 kg title, and Claudia Rengifo added another gold medal. Naryuri Pérez closed Venezuela’s weightlifting campaign with gold in the +86 kg category after recording an Olympic total of 270 kg. Venezuela’s weightlifting team finished second in the discipline’s team medal standings with seven gold, three silver and one bronze.
In fencing, Katherine Paredes captured the women’s individual saber title, while Gabriel Lugo won gold in the men’s individual épée. Venezuela’s women’s team also claimed gold in the team épée event after defeating Chile in the final.
Another gold medal came in bocce, where Laura Oses, who returned from retirement, won the women’s individual volo event.
In the overall medal standings, Brazil leads with 41 gold, 43 silver and 33 bronze medals, for a total of 117. Argentina ranks second with 31 gold, 28 silver and 42 bronze medals (101 overall), followed by Colombia with 30 gold, 24 silver and 19 bronze medals (73 overall). Chile sits fourth with 17 gold, 14 silver and 24 bronze medals (55 overall), pushing Venezuela into fifth place.
Venezuela’s 400-athlete delegation continues to compete across 32 sports and will seek to maintain its medal-winning pace during the remaining days of the continental competition, which runs through September 26.
