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Pan-Am Games 2023: Noel finishes seventh in ‘B’ Final; Amsterdam falls to Argentine

October 21, 2023

By Akeem Greene in Chile

Saturday was frustrating for Team Guyana at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, as all four athletes in action did not progress to the medal rounds.

SWIMMING

Raekwon Noel finished seventh in the ‘B’ final of the Men’s 400m Freestyle with a time of 4:05.82 seconds. The race was won by Canadian Tong Wu, who clocked 3:57.85s.

Earlier, Noel finished second in Heat 1, and it proved good enough for him to advance to the ‘B’ Final.

Noel led Heat 1 until the final meters, as Alberto Vega of Costa Rico clocked 4:05.79s ahead of Noel (4:07.38s).

Noel’s time was initially 17th, finishing just outside the top 16, but one of the swimmers dropped out, paving the way for his advancement to the ‘B’ final.

Brazilian Guilherme Costa won gold in the event with a new Pan-Am record of 03:46.79s.

Guyana’s ‘Golden Boy’ at the CARIFTA Games earlier in the year is also scheduled to contest the 400m Individual Medley and 800m Freestyle.

**Raekwon Noel finished second in his 400m Freestyle heat but still managed to secure a spot in the ‘B’ Final (PHOTO: Guyana Olympic Association/Akeem Greene/October 21, 2023)**

TAEKWONDO

Ceili Peterson certainly looked the part in the Women’s Kyorugi 49 Kg as the 21-year-old, who is based in Canada, impressed with her ability and narrowly missed out on progressing to the next round.

Her Costa Rican opponent, Laura Sancho, won 2-1, as the rounds went 3-2, 12-13, and 6-4.

Peterson expressed she valued the experience and knows what she has perfect for defeating the best.

**Ceili Peterson impressed with her skills (PHOTO: Guyana Olympic Association/Akeem Greene/October 21, 2023)**

BOXING

Desmond Amsterdam lost to Argentina’s Gabriel Buonarrigon in his Men’s 80kg contest.

Much was expected of Amsterdam to go deep into the competition, securing a medal and potentially sealing a maiden Olympic qualification.

However, a unanimous decision in favour of the Argentine means he will have to use other options next year to seal his ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The Argentine used his reach and height to the advantage, and while Amsterdam struck the body with powerful combinations, he was lined up for some hard-hitting right punches.

BADMINTON

A nagging knee injury forced Priyanna Ramdhani to retire hurt in her Round-of-32 clash with top-ranked Brazilian Juliana Vieira.

The Brazilian won the opening set 21-6 and was up 11-0 when Ramdhani was forced to retire hurt, ending her campaign.