Historic Medals for Mexico at Paris 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games came to an end this Sunday, and Mexico lowered the curtain with a total of five historic medals: three silver and two bronze, which were won in the disciplines of diving, boxing, judo, and archery.

Individually and as a team, the national delegation shone on the Parisian podiums from the start of the competitions, a result that surpassed what was achieved three years ago in the Tokyo 2020 edition, where four bronzes were obtained.

The national delegation that competed in the French capital made its way into the medal table with third place in archery. The trio of athletes made the esplanade of Les Invalides vibrate after defeating the Netherlands 6-2 in the duel for the bronze medal, thus achieving the first medal that our country obtains as a women's team in that discipline at the Olympic level.

The good progress of the Mexicans continued from the tatami of the Champ-de-Mars Arena, thanks to the judoka Prisca Awiti Alcaraz, who placed the Mexican flag in second place in the places of honor by winning silver in the -63 kilogram category.

The Central American champion in San Salvador 2023 was beaten in the final by the Slovenian Andreja Leski, but Awiti wrote her name in the Mexican sporting glories, since her runner-up position meant the first medal that judo has achieved in the highest event, in a sport that has been part of the Olympic calendar since Tokyo 1964.

The good news in Paris continued from the Aquatic Center, where the diver Osmar Olvera Ibarra engraved his name in the Mexican Olympic feats after climbing the podium twice from the 3-meter springboard: in synchronized together with Juan Manuel Celaya, he won silver, while in individual, he won bronze.

The 20-year-old diver broke the 68-year drought in which a Mexican diver had not won two medals in the same edition, since the gold and bronze medals that Joaquín Capilla achieved in Melbourne 1956, while in synchronized diving, Olvera and Celaya debuted in this modality on the podium of the competition for Mexico.

To close the tally, Marco Verde Álvarez included boxing in the sports with medals in Paris 2024, returning his discipline to the podium after eight years of absence since Misael Rodríguez's bronze in Rio 2016.

The final that the Mazatlan runner-up contested in his debut meant that after 40 years, a national boxer climbed into the ring in the fight for glory after what Héctor López did in Los Angeles 1984, who also won the silver medal, in addition to being the first Mexican boxer to climb onto the podium in the 71 kilogram division.

Mexico adds 24 diplomas in the Olympic elite in Paris

The Mexican delegation marked this Sunday the final point of an outstanding performance in Paris 2024, where not only were five historic medals achieved: three silver and two bronze, but also on 19 occasions they closed in the elite at a world level by competing in their respective finals and placing among the Top 8, considered as an Olympic diploma.

Beyond the podiums, there were two fourth places, seven fifths, three sixths, and sevenths, as well as four eighth places.

In the French capital, Mexico stood out in sports such as diving and modern pentathlon, where on a couple of occasions they came close to the podium, obtaining fourth positions through Randal Willars and Kevin Berlin in 10m synchronized diving and Emiliano Hernández in modern pentathlon.

Among the best five worldwide in the summer event, our country added seven results, both individually and as a team.

The 20-kilometer race walker, Alegna González, crystallized her second Olympic experience in Paris 2024, which she finished in the top 5 twice: in the individual, ranking as the second best on the continent, and in the mixed marathon relay alongside Ever Palma, while taekwondo athlete Carlos Sansores also finished his performance among the best exponents of the +80 kilogram category.

The divers had important performances and Mexico added three fifth places: Gabriela Agúndez in the individual from the platform and together with Alejandra Orozco in 10m synchronized event, as well as Randal Willars in the same individual men's event.

Mexican cycling finished with a historic result by holding the fifth position in the team speed event with Daniela Gaxiola, Yuli Verdugo, and Jessica Salazar.

Mexican athletes Alejandra Valencia, Alejandra Estudillo, and Daniela Gaxiola were present and took sixth individual places in archery, diving on the springboard, and cycling in the keirin, respectively.

Shooting was present with Olympic diplomas thanks to a pair of seventh places, after the performance of Edson Ramírez and Goretti Zumaya in the mixed 10m air rifle team, as well as Gabriela Rodríguez in the women's skeet, while the artistic swimming team also took seventh place in the Paris final.

In eighth places were: the mixed archery team, Uziel Muñoz in the athletics shot put, Alejandra Orozco from the platform, and the newcomer Janeth Gómez in the 59 kg category of weightlifting.

CONADE outlines the closing of the current administration with historic performances

The current administration of the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sports, headed by Ana Gabriela Guevara Espinoza, will transcend for the historic achievements as part of the process in two Olympic cycles with unprecedented performances in the most important sports competitions at an international level.

Under the management of the former athlete, Mexico signed its best performances in the Pan American Games on two occasions, since in the Lima 2019 edition, the first major event for Guevara Espinoza in charge of the country's sport, the national delegation obtained a total of 138 medals (37 gold, 39 silver, and 62 bronze), which surpassed what was achieved in Guadalajara 2011 (133 medals) and which, until then, was the best Mexican harvest in this competition outside the country.

Four years later, the country achieved the best performance in the history of the continental competition by breaking not only the maximum number of gold medals won, with 52, as well as total medals, with 142 medals, to place third in the overall medal table of the region.

The achievements also carried over to the field of the Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador 2023, a tournament in which the Mexican contingent won 353 medals, of which 145 were gold (the largest amount in the history of this competition). In addition to surpassing what was achieved in Barranquilla 2018 with 341 medals (132 gold).

The situation has not been different at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as with the current participation of conventional sports in Paris 2024 (three silver and two bronze), the record of Tokyo 2020 (four bronze) has already been left behind, and what was achieved in Rio 2016 were equaled, with the attainment of unprecedented results.

Likewise, at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the Mexican delegation won a total of 22 medals (seven gold, two silver, and 13 bronze), a harvest that improved on what was recorded in Rio 2016 with 15 medals (four gold, two silver, and nine bronze) and in London 2012 with 21 medals (six gold, four silver, and 11 bronze).

Guevara Espinoza's six-year term at the head of CONADE will have its last major event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, to be held from August 28 to September 8, where the country promises to be one of the main protagonists.