2026 South American Games: Rugby and wrestling add to Argentina’s tally
The host nation keeps racking up medals in Santa Fe, reaching 46 golds to remain second, behind Brazil La entrada 2026 South American Games: Rugby and wrestling add to Argentina’s tally se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald .
Argentina continues to excel at the 2026 South American Games, having accumulated 174 medals - 46 gold, 49 silver and 79 bronze - after just nine days of competition in Santa Fe. Currently sitting in second place, Argentina trails behind Brazil, who lead with 79 gold medals and 193 total medals.
In Olympic-style competitions, gold medals determine the standings. The rugby sevens teams from Argentina, known as the Pumas (men) and Yaguaretés (women), have been the highlight of the games. The women's team won gold, defeating Colombia 33-5 in the final, marking their first ever gold medal for Argentina and securing a spot at the 2027 Pan American Games. María Luján Taladrid, the final's MVP, expressed her joy in winning the gold medal.
The men's team also claimed gold, defeating Chile 17-7 and repeating the title won in Santiago in 2014 and Asunción in 2022. Uruguay secured third place after defeating Colombia 22-7. Armenian wrestler Arsen Julfalakyan made a significant impact at the games, winning gold in the under-77kg Greco-Roman wrestling category. Despite retiring from wrestling in 2021, Julfalakyan returned at the encouragement of his wife and children, who moved to Argentina.
He defeated Colombia's Jair Cuero 4-2 to claim the gold medal, with the crowd in Rosario providing him with excellent support. His next goal is to represent Argentina at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Herald's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 3 other outlets
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