An American in Lima

This story continues the coverage began in Keeping up with Peru’s Olympians, posted August 11. 

BEST PLACE TO VIEW LIVE OLYMPICS COVERAGE

Log onto http://www.NBCOlympics.com for streaming videos and up-to-the-minute coverage of the events as they happen.  The site is in English and is easily navigated. Now I can stop kvetching about the poor Olympics coverage by Peruvian television stations.

WRESTLING RESULTS

 

 

 

 

 

Barrera told reporters in Beijing that his elbow was seriously injured in an earlier match with China’s  Yongxiang Chang, who applied an “improper” hold. 

Medal winners in the 74 k category are: Gold, Manuchar Kvirkelia (Georgia), Silver, Change Yongxiang (China), Bronze, Yavor Yanakiev (Bulgaria) and Christophe Rene Marcel Guenot (France).

Kvirkelia’s decisive 6-0, 3-0 victory Wednesday came in the same week Russian troops stormed through Georgia. The gold also was the country’s first in Beijing, notes this NBCOlympics.com report.

Click here for all final results in Men’s Greco-Roman 74k Wrestling, from ESPN Latin America.

Here’s a translation of the August 13 story on Barrera by Terra news:

The Peruvian wrestler Sixto Barrera was eliminated in his match in the 74-k category of Greco-Roman wrestling  when he lost to the Bulgarian Yavor Yanakiev, the last world champion, who beat him 3-0.

Barrera’s performance is so far the most significant of the Peruvian delegation in the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Barrera was unable to do much against a rival who exceeded his abilities at every instance and demonstrated his status as monarch in this sport.

The Peruvian came to the match having lost in the quarterfinals to the Chinese Yongxiang Chang by 3-1 in the coliseum at the University of Agriculture of China.

“My opponent dealt me an improperly applied hold, after which I felt a pain in the elbow but now I’m in Recovery with the doctor. I’m concerned about my elbow, but this is the Olympics and the event is something big,” said the Peruvian to RPP prior to his match against Yanakiev.

Barrera reached the quarterfinals after overcoming the Lithuanian Valdemar Venckaitis, bronze medalist at the last World Cup.

Hope that elbow heals, Barrera. Time to call on your healer pal San Martin.

SAILING UPDATE

Peru’s Paloma Schmidt, who ranked 58 in Laser Radial at the 2008 World Championships, in New Zealand, competed in three Olympic races on August 12 and 13 (Beijing time zone), finishing 9th, 26th and 27^th in Women’s Single-Handed Dingy Europe.

Schmidt’s trains at Yacht Club Peruano, in La Punta, Callao, with coach Eduardo Villacorta, notes her sailor bio on ISAF. Her nickname is “Bird,” in reference to her first name, which means “dove” in Spanish.

Visit Schmidt’s personal blog “Sailor Bird” (written in Spanish) to read about her preparations for the Olympics and to send her your good wishes. She speaks Spanish, English and German so leave your comments in the language you prefer.

Click here for Schmidt’s bio and daily race stats from the official Beijing Olympics site.

JUDO

At 6’8″ tall and weighing in at 352 pounds, Peru’s Carlos Zegarra has been mistaken on China’s streets for a sumo wrestler.  The giant representing Peru in the Olympic Games trains in Spain because his home country lacks the proper training and support infrastructure for serious judo athletes, he recently told Peru21.

I’ll post an English translation of Zegarra’s Peru21 interview in a day or so.

Zegarra and 33 other judoakos in the 100 kg+ category begin competition Friday, August 15, noon Beijing time. Zegarra is paired with Argentina’s Sandro Lopez on Mat 2, in USTB Gymnasium.

 SHOOTING

 Men’s Skeet qualifications start this Friday, August 15, with Peru’s Marco Matellini scheduled in Group 4 along with Norway’s Tore Brovold.

 Day 1 qualifications begin at 9 a.m. at Beijing Shooting Range CTF. (See start list here.)

 WOMEN’S WEIGHTLIFTING

Peru’s 22-year-old female weightlifter Cristina Cornejo competes this Saturday, August 16, 7 p.m. (Beijing time) in the +75 kg category, Group A.  The 260-pound athlete weighs in at 5 p.m. at the BUAA Gymnasium.  Also competing in the +75 category on Saturday is El Salvador’s Eva Dimas.

See the AP photo, above, by Armando Franca for a view of Cornejo in action. Wow!

Click here for the official Olympic start list.

So far, three Chinese athletes have won gold medals in women’s weightlifting events at the Beijing Olympics: Chen Xiexia (Women’s 48 kg), Chen Yanging (Women’s 58 kg) and Liu Chunhong (Women’s 69 kg).  

RUNNING & ATHLETICS

Peru’s track and field athletes finally get their turn in the spotlight this Saturday, August 16, when Maria Portilla competes in the Women’s Marathon and long jumper Louis Tristan leaps into the qualifying rounds (finals are scheduled for Monday, August 18).

Tristan placed No. 2 in the 2007 South American Games

TAEKWONDO

The last Peruvian to compete in the Beijing 2008 Olympics will be taekwondo athlete Peter Lopez, on Thursday, August 21. Lopez competes in the Men’s 68 kg. preliminary rounds.

Some Peruvian martial artists apparently resent Lopez’s representing Peru in the Olympics. A quick Google search revealed this bitter discussion on the expatperu discussion boards. Discussion forum member “rgamarra” (no real name given) resents that Lopez, who has lived and trained in the United States for “most of his life,” was catapulted to the Olympics ahead of members of Peru’s national taekwondo team.

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