Title: Puerto Rican Goalkeeper Jean Pizarro Secures Gold Medal at San Salvador 2023 Games
Puerto Rican goalkeeper Jean Pizarro has emerged victorious in the compound individual event of the San Salvador 2023 Games, clinching the gold medal on Friday. This victory marks Puerto Rico’s twenty-first gold medal at the Games, surpassing their achievement in Barranquilla 2018.
Expressing his joy, Pizarro stated, “It’s #21, like Clemente, and I’m super happy that it takes me down in history.” The intense final took place in the afternoon, with some wind adding to the challenge. Pizarro secured a tight 148-144 victory against Colombian competitor Jagdeep Singh Mejía. Pizarro’s exceptional performance included three perfect rounds and a strong finish, as he maintained nerve control in the last two rounds.
Reflecting on the decisive moments of the match, Pizarro described, “In the middle of the game, with the advantage we had (60-56), I wanted to focus on the perfect one. Couldn’t give. But in the end, he began to shake his chest because he already had the gold medal visualized and I had a lot of pressure.”
Earlier in the day, Pizarro advanced to the final by defeating Mexican archer Miguel Becerra with a score of 146-145. Both competitors were tied at 117-117 going into the fifth and final round, during which Pizarro’s precision with two arrows scoring 10 clinched the victory.
Pizarro, who is also the president of the Puerto Rican Federation Archery, will now have the opportunity to hear the national anthem, La Bonriqueña, for the first time at the Central American and Caribbean Games. His loved ones, including his girlfriend Sara López from the Colombian team and his mother María Latorre, who serves as the Puerto Rican delegate, will be present to witness this special moment.
Expressing his fulfillment, Pizarro stated, “Since Mayagüez 2010, where I caught so many songs, and in the other Central American Games (Veracruz 2015 and Barranquilla 2018), it had not occurred to me. I have worked a lot for this. We had to get to World Cup podiums to get to this. I am super happy.”
In other events, Ramírez fell short in the match for the bronze medal against Sara López from Colombia, with a final score of 146-143. Despite a tie in the third round of Arrows with Dafne Quintero at 87-87, Ramírez could not secure victory. The Colombian competitor capitalized on a better performance in the fourth round and claimed the match with a 117-115 advantage in the fifth and final round.
Additionally, Pizarro and Ramirez lost the bronze medal match in mixed doubles against El Salvador. The thrilling contest ended in a tiebreaker arrow after both teams scored 155-155.
Jean Pizarro’s outstanding performance and historic victory have further solidified Puerto Rico’s presence on the international archery stage.