Argentina wraps up Santa Fe 2026 with 78 gold medals
Argentina wraps up Santa Fe 2026 with 74 gold medals La entrada Argentina wraps up Santa Fe 2026 with 78 gold medals se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald .
The 2026 South American Games in Santa Fe concluded with Argentina claiming 78 gold medals, marking the country’s best haul in 20 years. This surpassed the 60-gold-medal milestone for the first time since the 2006 Buenos Aires Games, when Argentina won 107 medals. The host nation ended the Games with a total of 279 medals, including silver and bronze.
In one of the final competitions, Argentina's U-19 men's football team lost the gold medal match to Paraguay at the Marcelo Bielsa Stadium in Rosario. The closing ceremony of Santa Fe 2026 took place on Saturday at the city’s Parque del Sur, featuring protocolary activities, the parade of delegations, and a tribute to the volunteers.
Over 300 students from the provincial Choirs and Orchestras Network participated in the ceremony, which also included performances by Bresh, Cacho Deicas, and others. The event was free to attend but required a QR Code ticket.
Sprint canoeing proved to be a gold mine for the Argentine delegation as the Games entered their final days. Magdalena Garro and Brenda Rojas won the women's K2 500 meters race, while Garro also won the women's K4 500 meters. The Argentine pair finished more than three seconds ahead of Brazil in both events. On the men's side, José Luis Acuña broke a 12-year gold drought in taekwondo, winning in the Kyorugi under-68 kg division and becoming the first top athlete for Argentina since Sebastián Crismanich's victory at Santiago 2014.
Athletics delivered another standout performance with Agustín Pinti, María Florencia Lamboglia, Elián Larregina, and Megan Powell winning the mixed 4×400-meter relay, setting national and South American Games records. Micaela Levaggi also made history by winning consecutive gold medals in the 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters. Swimming led early on, with Macarena Ceballos and Cecilia Dieleke winning in the women's 100m breaststroke and 50m backstroke, respectively.
The national team secured 28 medals in total, making swimming the country's most successful discipline at the Games. Fernanda Russo secured her third consecutive 10m air rifle title, keeping Argentina in close pursuit of Brazil for the upcoming Pan American Games in Lima. Armenian wrestler Arsen Julfalakyan claimed gold in the under-77kg Greco-Roman wrestling category.
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.
