Venezuelan wrestling closed with eight gold medals in Santa Fe 2026
Ministry of Sports
Published at: 22/09/2026 01:49 PM
The Venezuelan wrestling team closed its participation in the XXIII Santa Fe 2026 South American Games with eight gold medals, three silver and one bronze, a result that made it the general champion of the discipline and made it the first national team to qualify in this edition among the sports that have already come down the curtain.
On the final day, corresponding to the Greco-Roman category, Raiber Rodríguez (60 kg), Luis Avenaño (87 kg) and Luillys Pérez (97 kg) won new gold titles. Avenaño dominated his three fights for technical superiority with a score of 9-0 against Brazil's André Ramos, Argentinian Pablo Djamkotchian and Peru's Carlos Espinoza.
Pérez, an Olympian in Rio 2016, returned to the regional top in 97 kg after beating the Peruvian Ricardo Cárdenas by technical superiority (13-5), beating Argentinian Ricardo Gómez by points (5-1) and closing with immobilization victories against the Ecuadorian Jean Zambrano (10-0) and the Brazilian Raphael Rodrigues (7-1).
DRAFTING