Gold weekend for Peru! Already 56 medals at the South American Games

What a weekend for Peru! At the 2026 South American Games in Argentina, Peruvian athletes cleaned up. Sunday, in particular, turned into a golden day: five victories in just a few hours!

The interim results are impressive. Following the competitions on Sunday, September 20, Peru has a total of 56 medals: 17 gold, 20 silver, and 19 bronze. Just a few days earlier, PeruMagazin reported on the strong start for Team Perú. And the South American Games are far from over.

Five golds in a single day!

Sunday was an eventful one. Five Peruvian athletes stood on the top step of the podium. On the water in particular, Peru was nearly unstoppable.

In water skiing, Cristhiana de Osma took gold in the women's slalom. Shortly after, Natalia Cuglievan secured the next victory. She won the tricks event with 8,780 points. That meant two gold medals for Peru in water skiing alone.

But that was only the beginning.

Then the sailors clean up

The sailing venue was also highly successful. María Belén Bazo won gold in the iQFOIL. The Peruvian windsurfer prevailed against her South American competition and delivered the next title for Peru.

Then Stefano Peschiera struck. The internationally successful sailor won the ILCA 7 class and also brought home gold. Sophie Zimmermann made the next victory perfect in the women’s Sunfish.

That brought Peru five gold medals on Sunday alone.

Skateboarding star Ángelo Caro strikes again

Even before the golden Sunday, one of the most famous Peruvian athletes had caused a stir. Ángelo Caro took gold in street skateboarding. The Peruvian scored 260.01 points, relegating Brazilian Wallace Farías to second place with 248.93 points.

Caro has been one of Peru's most internationally recognized skateboarders for years. At the South American Games, he once again confirmed his status among the South American elite. For Peru, his success was one of the highlights of the entire weekend.

Four games, four golds for Pacheco

What a streak for Nicolás Pacheco. The Peruvian won the men's skeet competition, once again taking gold for his country.

The remarkable thing: Pacheco had already won this event at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 South American Games. Now came title number four. Four South American Games in a row and four golds.

With this, the Peruvian marksman continues his extraordinary run of success.

Peru's shooters collect medal after medal

Pacheco is far from the only successful shooter on the team. Sports shooting is turning into one of the major medal suppliers for Peru at these South American Games.

Among others, Marko Carrillo and Annia Becerra won gold in the mixed air pistol event. Carrillo himself also stood on top of the podium in the individual competition. Further Peruvian successes came from Alexia Arenas, Almudena Boza, Alessandro de Souza, and Kevin Altamirano.

The shooters are thus contributing significantly to Peru's strong interim balance. As of the interim update on September 17, Peru had collected 26 medals. Within a few days, that number has more than doubled.

Peru collects medals beyond the gold ones

It wasn't just the winners who made moves in the medal table. Peruvian athletes also made the podium in rowing, judo, fencing, weightlifting, diving, bowling, beach volleyball, and wrestling.

In judo, for example, there was silver on Sunday in the mixed team competition. Representing Peru on the mat were Driulys Rivas, Xsara Morales, Camila Figueroa, Alonso Wong, Yuta Galarreta, and Daryl Yamamoto. Additional podium finishes were also added in rowing.

Peru is scoring not just in one or two disciplines; the medals are coming from numerous sports.

17 golds – and it’s not over yet

After the weekend, Peru stands at 17 gold medals, 20 silver medals, and 19 bronze medals, for a total of 56 medals. This places the Peruvian delegation in sixth place in the medal table after the weekend.

Brazil leads the standings, followed by Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Venezuela. For Peru, however, this is only an interim result, as numerous final events are yet to come.

Now the hunt for more medals continues

The XIII South American Games run until September 26, 2026. More than 4,000 athletes from 15 countries are competing in events in Argentina. Venues include Santa Fe, Rosario, and Rafaela. PeruMagazin lists further sports dates in Peru and international events with Peruvian participation in its event calendar.

For Peru, it is not just about gold, silver, and bronze. The games are also important with an eye toward the Lima 2027 Pan American Games. A few days later, the Lima 2027 Parapan American Games will also follow in the Peruvian capital.

After this weekend, one thing is certain: the Peruvian team is capable of collecting a large number of medals in Argentina. There are already 56, including 17 gold. Sunday, with its five gold medals, in particular, significantly improved the record.

Now there are six days of competition left – and with them, numerous chances for more medals.