14 August 2003

Medals joy for host nation
The Dominican Republic is celebrating its medal tally of 5 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze, setting a record that has surpassed all expectations and fuelled hope for several more before the Games close on 17 August. Yesterday’s winners were Luis Ju Lin and Nieves Xue, who won gold and silver in table tennis, Yuderkis Contreras and Wendy Santana, who won silver and bronze in weightlifting, and Gabriel Mercedes, who won bronze in tae kwon do. Having qualified for the finals in both softball and women’s boxing, the Dominican Republic is assured at least two more medals, and hopes are high for further top rankings in tae kwon do, weightlifting and women’s volleyball.
Rafael Molina Morillo’s “Mis Buenos Días” column in Hoy speaks of the joy of a compatriot winning a medal, be it bronze, silver or gold, despite his having been opposed to holding the Games in the Dominican Republic. He stresses, however, that this does not mean that he has reversed his position on the matter. “I would not want to see the glow of the medals we are winning blind us to the fact that we are sitting on a powder keg and that if we do not take the bull by the horns, all we will see is darkness.” He ends by applauding the victorious athletes and a reminder to readers of the task ahead.

Highlights
The United States leads the medal count with a total of 201 – 86 gold, 62 silver and 53 bronze. Cuba and Brazil hold second and third place in the medals tally and the Dominican Repubic ranks eighth overall.
The Games have been particularly good for the Argentinean team, who have won gold in women’s and men’s field hockey, qualifying them for next summer’s Olympic Games in Athens. They also struck gold in swimming (men’s 100m freestyle) and cycling. Ecuador has won gold in 20-km speed-walking and weightlifting. Colombian Mabel Mosquera took the gold in women’s weightlifting.

96% support the Games, says survey
The government has conducted a poll which found that 96% of Dominicans are behind the Pan American Games. “Knowing the problems we had and everything we had to fight against… tells us that all has gone well. We are happy and our aim is to finish this way,” said Games organizer José Joaquín Puello.

No defections so far?
Pan American Games organizer José Joaquín Puello has denied rumors of any Cuban defections so far during the Games, but admits that “when these things happen, the organizing committee is usually the last to know.”

It's great to be Dominican alongside Félix Sánchez!
Félix Sánchez, who has been ranked second in the new world athletic standings, is the subject of David Alvarez Martín’s column in today’s El Caribe newspaper. Alvarez Martín writes that Félix, who could define himself as an American citizen, has gone in the opposite direction of those who seek “a visa for a dream” or cross the Mona Passage in precarious vessels. “Félix is a blessing. He comes to us when we are at our saddest… He offers us a morsel of pride and dignity, just as we are being swamped by populism and incompetence… Félix is Dominican because that is what he wants to be, that is what he feels, just like all of us who consider ourselves Dominican.” The column concludes by saying, “It’s great to be Dominican along with Félix Sánchez!”
 

Source: http://dr1.com

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