Twins from Paraná, Helena and Ana Mees Valério, took first and second place at the South American Cross Country Championships, held this Sunday (27), in Serra, Espírito Santo. They competed in the U-18 category. The 4 km race ended with Helena with a gold medal (16.46) and Ana with a silver (16.49). Marcella Marinelli took bronze (17.12).

Two 16-year-old children from Paraná live in Pinhais and study at the Colégio Estadual, in Curitiba.

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Brazil’s Wendell Jerônimo Souza and Maria Lucineida Moreira are the 2022 Pan American and South American Cross Country champions. Wendell won the 10 km Pan American and South American Cross Country Championships this Sunday (27/27).3), in Serra, Espírito Santo, with 31.46. In a race played in hot sun, 30 degrees of heat and about 87% humidity, on a 2 km track set up at Condomínio Alphaville Jacuhy, Wendell confirmed his good phase – he came from victory in the Copa Brasil de Cross Country , on 13 March.

The Pan-American runner-up was Canadian Thomas Fafard, with 32.03, followed by Peruvian Rene Champi, third in the Pan and second in South America, with 32.07. Brazil’s Marciel Miranda de Almeida Silva, with 32.17, was fourth in the Pan, but took the bronze medal in South America.

Brazil took the men’s team title (21 points), with Canada in second (24), Peru (39) and Mexico (67). According to the rules of the Pan-American Cross, the team with the lowest score wins.

“I’ve never done this type of competition and I had the opportunity to try it. It all started on the regional stage, there at Bonito, I came to the Copa Brasil and became champion and now I won the international championship. I overcame all of that. my difficulties and today I got results for Brazil, Mato Grosso and my city Pontes e Lacerda”, Wendell said. “The competition is important in our country.” He did not find the route difficult – he already knew from the Copa Brasil – and said that the heat “for everyone”.

At last year’s São Silvestre Race, he was held back by anxiety. “Today I lost the race. I don’t like to press in the beginning, I like to leave it until the end – I saw that I could finish well.” He thanks his father Valerian, mother, Risoneide, brother Washington, “the whole family, coach Adauto Domingos, colleague David Macedo and the team at Lojas Esportiva”.

The women’s event, also contested in intense heat, was dominated by Brazil. Maria Lucineida da Silva Moreira, from Paraíba from Monteiro, who lives in Pesqueira, Pernambuco, won the women’s 10 km with 36.21. Núbia de Oliveira Silva from Bahia was second, with 36.48, with Simone Ponte Ferraz from Santa Catarina in third, with 36.51 . Brazil is also a South American medallist, in the same position.

Brazil are still fourth with Nicole Palhares Mello (36.58) and are champions per team with 10 points, followed by Canada with 30 – only the team with more than four athletes in the competition can score goals per team and whoever has the most points little win. . The best foreigner was Jessy Lacourse, of Canada, in fifth place, with 37.23.

“It was a good race, I managed to concentrate – when I was tired I believed and asked God for strength -, I felt a little less difficult than in the Copa Brasil, I ran more freely, forced my rhythm and ended the race well.”, he said. Maria Lucineida. “I still can’t believe that I was an adult South American and Pan American champion, that I made it.” He dedicates his achievements to coach José Hildo dos Santos and his APPD team, the city of Pesqueira, family, physical therapists and “everyone who supports” him.

Lucineida was runner-up in 5,000 m at the Pan-American Junior Championships in Cali, third in 3,000 m in the same competition, and runner-up in the Copa Brasil de Cross. He is only 20 years old. The athlete’s target this season is to perform well at Brazil U-23, South America U-23, at the University World Cup and go to South America and the Half Marathon World Championships.

In the 8 km U-20, Brazil’s Jânio Marcos Varjão, of Mato Grosso, is the Pan American and South American champion (26.19). Mark Sanchez, of Mexico, was second (26.40) and Rudy Saal, of Canada, was third (26.41) for the Pan American dispute. In the South American dispute, Jhoseph Nunez, of Peru, is second (28.15) and Diego Caldeira, of Venezuela, is third (28.25). Canada is the Under-20 champion (20 points).

“I thought it would be a slower race at the start, but they went fast and the race was outside of my strategy. But I was prepared for strong sun, heat, rain, for whatever comes and it worked. I’m happy to represent my country and be a champion at home. I dreamed of hearing that song”, said Jânio Varjão, who is from Barra do Garça, Mato Grosso.

In the Pan-American women’s 6 km Under-20, she won Mexico’s Sabrina Garcia (22.36). Brazil’s Gabriela Tardivo was the second Pan-American, but captured the South American title, with a time of 23.05. Aylana Ferreira Cezar was on the Pan podium as third place, but as runner-up in the area. Veronica Huacasi, from Peru, took bronze in South America (23.28).

In the under 18 category, disputes are only for South America and with Brazil. The victory in the men’s 6 km went to Pedro Henrique da Luz de Freitas (22.07), with Railton de Oliveira Ramos second (22.13) and Manuel Tsiwario third (22.17). At 4 km, the twins Helena and Ana Mees Valério repeated their position from the Copa Brasil de Cross. Helena won the gold medal (16.46) and Ana, the silver medal (16.49). Marcella Marinelli took bronze (17.12).

idol
Olympic medalist Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, bronze in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and Ronaldo da Costa, who is the world record holder by winning the 1998 Berlin Marathon, ran the 4 km along with the amateur athletes participating in the event. Both were part of CBAt’s Idols do Atletismo Loterias Caixa program and wowed the public at the event.

“What’s important is that Ronaldo and I participate in honoring this event. It’s been years since I crossed and relived that with Ronaldo running with ordinary people is an extraordinary thing”, said Vanderlei. Ronaldo, who is always playful, said it was “so hot, that he has a bit of resistance and a pain in his thigh”. “But here’s an example of a man. He pushed me to the end, helped me. We run for quality of life and to encourage people.”

Rosemar Coelho Neto, Olympic medalist in the 4×100 m relay in Beijing-2008 and member of the CBAt Board of Directors, apart from being a member of the Idols Program, also respected the event and participated intensely in the competition. The President of the CBAt Athletes Commission, Cleiton Cesário Abrão, also entered the competition.

The President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Paulo Wanderley Teixeira, who was in Espírito Santo, attended the event and participated in the awarding of the men’s champions. President of the Pan American Athletics Association Marcos Oviedo, Athletics Association of South America, Hélio Gesta de Melo, and the Brazilian Athletics Confederation, Wlamir Motta Campos, vice president Edson Luciano Ribeiro (also an Olympic medalist), and host André Schiek, president of the Espírito Santo Athletics Federation , the entity responsible for organizing the tournament, was present at Serra.

“I am very satisfied with the results of the first two international events out of a total of eight that Brazil will host in 2022. The excellent structure and organization, the result of the partnerships built with the Municipal Government of Serra, the State Government of Espírito Santo and Vale – this is a very competitive competition. created with an incentivized resource, which demonstrates the governance of the Espírito Santo Federation and the CBAt”, said Wlamir Motta Campos. “From a technical point of view, excellent results were achieved and Brazilian athletes, understanding the importance of competition, stood out a lot”, he added. He added that Espírito Santo can host the Trail and Mountain competition in 2024, in the city of Pedra Azul.

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