Nine Gold Medals

Team USA added nine gold medals to their total overall medal count

Team USA added nine gold medals to their total overall medal count

Team USA added plenty of medals, including nine golds, to its total Wednesday at the 2019 Parpaan American Games in Peru.

Swimming and track and field athletes garnered plenty of those.

Team USA swept the women’s S9 400-meter freestyle, with Hannah Aspden winning gold (5 minutes, 01.05 seconds), Madelyn White (5:01.25) taking silver and Alyssia Crook (5:12.19) earning bronze. Other U.S. swimming medalists included: Matthew Torres (gold, men’s S9 400-meter freestyle, 4:34.28); Jamal Hill (silver, men’s S10 50-meter freestyle, 26.10 seconds); Leslie Cichocki (silver, women’s S14 100-meter butterfly, 1:14.95); Tye Dutcher (bronze, men’s S10 50-meter freestyle, 26.50 seconds); Liam Smith (bronze, men’s S17 50-meter freestyle); Liam Smith (men’s S7 50-meter freestyle, 32.11 seconds); and Abigail Gase (bronze, women’s F7 50-meter freestyle, 43.38 seconds). Team USA’s men’s 400-meter relay team of Joseph Peppersack, Zachary Shattuck, Dutcher and Hill also earned bronze, finishing in 4:37.64.

U.S. men’s sitting volleyball player John Kremer, No. 14, goes for the ball in the gold-medal Parapan American Games match Aug. 28 against Brazil in Peru. (Photo by Shannon Galea).

In para athletics, Team USA swept the men’s T64 100-meter final, taking all three podium spots. Kevan Hueftle won gold in 11.45 seconds, while Jerome Singleton, Jr. (11.62 seconds) earned silver and Nicholas Rogers (11.63 seconds) took bronze. Team USA also won the 400-meter relay, knocking off Brazil and Columbia.

Other track and field medalists included: Jaleen Roberts (gold, women’s T36/37/38 long jump, 4.68 meters); Jessica Heims (gold, women’s F64 discus, 34.40 meters); Hannah Dederick (gold, women’s T54 100 meters, 17.30 seconds); Isiah Rigo (gold, men’s T52 1,500 meters, 4:25.65); Noah Malone (silver, men’s T12 100 meters, 11.12 seconds); Beatriz Hatz (silver, women’s T64 100 meters, 13.71 seconds); Catherine Carey (bronze, women’s T64 100 meters, 14.07 seconds); Sebastiana Lopez Arellan (women’s F54 javelin, 15.46 meters); Kelsey LeFevour (silver, women’s T53 100 meters, 17.81 seconds); Caterina Gulmaeres (bronze, women’s T36/37/38 long jump, 4.05 meters); Sydney Barta (bronze, women’s F64 discus, 26.71 meters); and David Brown (bronze, men’s T11 100 meters, 11.39 seconds).

In wheelchair tennis, Dana Mathewson rallied for a come-from-behind victory for bronze in women’s singles, defeating teammate Emmy Kaiser 6-1, 7-5. Mathewson was down 5-0 in the second set before coming back to win.

U.S. women’s wheelchair tennis player Dana Mathewson serves in her third-place match Aug. 28 in the 2019 Parapan American Games in Peru. Mathewson earned bronze. (Photo by Michael A. Clubine).

“It feels awesome, though, I had to play my teammate, which is never fun. There is a personal element involved because you are friends,” Mathewson said. “She’s a really tough opponent. She’s someone on the tennis tour that I don’t like to play because she’s really unpredictable. She can hit the ball of that most people can’t. When playing her is very difficult to get into a rhythm. I was down zero to five in that second set, so to come back the way I did, I am also really proud of myself.”

On the men’s side, Brazil’s Gustavo Fernandez, the top-ranked player in the world, knocked off the U.S.’ Casey Ratzlaff, 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals. Ratzlaff played for the bronze Friday, Aug. 31.

In other sports:

  • Team USA cruised to an 81-42 victory over Mexico in the men’s wheelchair basketball tournament. Team captain Steve Serio recorded a double-double (22 points and 10 rebounds) to help the U.S. advance to Friday, Aug. 30 semifinals.
  • Behind Heather Erickson’s monster 17-point game, the U.S. women’s sitting volleyball team swept Brazil 3-0. Erickson was named the 2019 women’s sitting volleyball tournament Most Valuable Player. Meanwhile, Brazil swept the U.S. men’s sitting volleyball team in three sets (25-19, 25-22, 25-12).
  • In seven-a-side futbol, the U.S.’ Nicholas Mayhugh, Benjamin Lindau and Cameron DeLillo each scored goals to lead it to a 3-2 victory over Brazil.
  • Both of the U.S. goalball teams earned mercy-rule victories over their opponents. The men rolled to a 12-2 win over Argentina, while the women shut out Costa Rica, 10-0.
Medal Count (after Aug. 28):

Brazil (194)
United States of America (137)
Mexico (108)
Argentina (82)
Columbia (81)

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