Rosario’s Crowd Powers a Memorable South American Judo Finale

The XIII South American Games Santa Fe 2026 judo competition ended in Rosario after three energetic days of individual contests, kata and mixed team action. At the Invincible Rosario Stadium, athletes from across the continent found a crowd that embraced every decisive exchange.

Brazil set the pace throughout the individual programme, collecting 11 of the 14 available titles. Diego Ismael, Ronald Lima, Guilherme De Oliveira, Gabriel Falcao, Marcelo Fronckowiak and Andrey Coelho won the men’s gold medals, while Sarah Mendes, Rafaela Rodrigues, Gyovanna Andrade, Nauana Silva and Ana Soares topped the women’s categories.

Venezuela delivered another strong campaign, led by Anriquelis Barrios at -63 kg and Elvismar Rodríguez at -78 kg. Angello Urbano, Samuel Corzo, Gabriela Miranda, Eliana Aguiar and Karen León added silver medals, underlining the team’s consistency across the competition.

Chile produced one of Rosario’s biggest individual stories through Thomas Briceño. In the -100 kg final against Venezuela’s Samuel Corzo, Briceño was under pressure until the closing seconds of regular time, when he scored to level the contest. He then completed the comeback in golden score to take the continental title. Francisco Solís also earned silver in the +100 kg category.

Thomas Briceño’s golden-score turnaround became one of the competition’s defining moments.

Argentina’s results carried extra meaning in front of a home crowd that backed its judoka throughout the event. Agustín Gil at -81 kg and Agustina De Lucia at -63 kg won silver, while Galo Villavicencio, Joaquín Tovagliari, Tomas Quinteros and Rosario native Ivo Dargoltz each claimed bronze.

Dargoltz delivered a particularly emotional moment in the -100 kg bronze-medal contest against Colombia’s Francisco Balanta. The local judoka threw with a powerful Harai-goshi for Ippon, triggering an immediate reaction from the stands.

Other nations also made their mark on the medal table. Peru’s Alonso Wong, Yuta Galarreta and Driulys Rivas won silver medals, while Panama marked its South American Games judo debut through bronzes for Ronal González at -73 kg and Kristine Jiménez at -57 kg. Paraguay’s Gabriela Narváez and Paloma Narváez reached the podium at -48 kg and -52 kg.

The programme also included kata, bringing a different expression of judo to the arena. Colombia’s Edwin Gomez and Gerardo Restrepo won Nage-no-kata, while Argentina’s Pablo Surace and Abel Benedetto took Katame-no-kata gold.

The mixed team event brought the final surge of emotion. After losing to Venezuela in the opening round, Argentina fought its way into the bronze-medal contest. Iván Gómez’s winning score secured the medal as the home supporters celebrated with the team. Brazil won the mixed team title, Peru finished second, and Argentina and Venezuela shared bronze.

Rosario closed the competition with Brazil’s depth clearly on display, but also with powerful moments for Chile, Argentina and teams across the continent. The spectators became part of the story, responding to the intensity, technique and drama on the tatami.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation