12 August 2003

Record medals in the Games
Yesterday was a good day for the Dominican Republic, reported El Caribe. The country ensured it would win at least 22 medals in these Games, beating its previous medal record of 16 at the Caracas Pan Am Games in 1983.
Yesterday, the DR won bronze in judo, and assured four more medals in boxing and another two in karate.
Dominican boxers Jonathan Batista, Félix Manuel Díaz Guzmán, Juan José Ubaldo and Casimiro Argelis all won their bouts in boxing to guarantee at least a bronze medal each.
Sterling Féliz and Ruben Salomón are guaranteed a bronze and are also potential silver or gold candidates.
In the ranking of medals already won, the DR stands in ninth place with 12 medals (2 gold, 3 silver, 7 bronze).

All in the family
Ducle María Piña had her three daughters, Lyssy Geannery, 14, Luisa Penelope, 11, and Omaria Nicolle, 2, her mother Mercedes D’Oleo and her husband Edgar Ramirez cheering her on, as she won her second Pan American bronze medal, as reported in El Caribe.
Piña was a bronze medalist in the 1995 Mar de Plata Pan Am Games in Argentina and made a comeback to win bronze once again in 30 seconds in the 70-kilogram category in judo yesterday.
She told reporters that she would go to the National Sanctuary in Higuey and place her medal at the picture of Our Lady of Grace in the Basilica. She hopes to accumulate enough points to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece by attending the Judo Pan Ams and the Judo World Games. Piña will soon graduate in physical education from the UASD.
The Dominican Republic’s best hope in the Pan Am Games in judo, Vicbart Geraldino, competing in the 90-kilogram category, lost the bronze to Cuban Yosvane Despaigne. Dominican Leidi German also lost her bronze to Canadian Amy Cotton.

Team advances
In women’s softball, the Dominican team (5-1) defeated the team from the Bahamas with a shutout score of 12-0. They will move on to compete for gold, silver or bronze in the finals.
In volleyball, the women’s team won a hard-fought victory over Puerto Rico, in four sets, 25-23, 24-22, 18-25 and 33-31, keeping their medal hopes alive.
The Dominican table tennis team is doing well, as Nieves Xue and Luis Ju Lin stand undefeated in the round of 16. Nieves Xue beat the Venezuelan María Ramos and Luis Ju Lin defeated the USA’s David Zwang.

Santiago IM swimmer
Young Priscilla Zacarías, from Santiago, placed third in her non-medal heat of the 400 Individual Medley. This division is for not medal candidates pitted the second eight fastest swimmers against each other for individual pride. This is sponsored by the international federation (FINA) to develop younger swimmers. At 14 years of age, Zacarías is one of the younger swimmers, and is the 11th fastest 400 IM in the games.
 

Source: http://dr1.com

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