ASPHALT MEETS ITS FIRST MEDALISTS 

The rain was present, as predicted, at the Municipal Sports Park, where the Ibagué, Tolima and 2021 Speed ​​Skating World Championships are held. Even so, the multicolored ribbon was deployed. Rain is not an obstacle to running the events unless there is a strong storm. 

The first to jump onto the soaked circuit was the junior category ladies to complete the 15 kilometers of the elimination trial, which little by little saw the group thin out until the last ones were ready to race for the medals. Colombian Mariana Chaparro took the victory with great solvency, in a difficult race due to the conditions of the route and the hard pace of the race that, despite the humidity, gave no truce. The second place went to Daniela Bustamante, from Venezuela, and the third place was reserved for Fran Vanhoutte, from Belgium.

Then there was the junior men’s trial where the surprise was given by Velkumar Anandkumar from India, who won the silver in the 15,000 meter junior elimination by crossing the finish line second behind the Colombian Miguel Ricardo Fonseca, who won the gold, and ahead of the Portuguese Marco Lira, who won the bronze.

In the elite category, seniors-ladies, it was the 10 kilometers for points. They were shorting the distance, in the middle of the water that fell due to the heavy rainfall. The test was dominated in its entirety by the Colombian duo made up of Luz Karime Garzón and Gabriela Rueda, who began little by little, turn by turn and point by point, to distance themselves from their rivals, shaping what they represented, in the end, a new gold medal for the host country.

Angy Quintero, from Venezuela, Marine Lefeuvre, from France; Rocío Berbel, from Argentina, Alejandra Traslaviña, from Chile, Úrsula Gaiser, from Germany, and the two Colombian runners, owned the points in a group of 30 competitors who took the start of the competition. Gabriela Isabel Rueda, the junior Olympic champion in Buenos Aires 2018, gave everything on her legs to win her first individual world title in the senior category 20 points to give her first place.

The second place was won by her teammate Luz Karime Garzón, with 16 points, while the ‘vinotinto’ Angy Quintero Arboleda took the bronze for the representation of Venezuela, which already has a silver medal and now a bronze one.