After 14 competition days, 79 matches and a staggering 521 goals, a hugely successful and entertaining Pan American Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico has drawn to a close.
It proved to be a fantastic event for Argentina, who continued their domination of the Junior Pan American competitions by claiming Gold medals in both the men’s and the women’s competitions.
For the men, it was a stunning tenth consecutive Junior Pan American tournament triumph, having won every event since the first edition in 1978. They continued their remarkable winning streak by defeating Canada in Sunday’s tournament final, but they were pushed every inch of the way by their rivals from North America. Canada twice held the lead in the game, but Argentina ran out 3-2 winners thanks to goals from Joaquin Menini, team captain Gonzalo Peillat and Joaquin Coelho.
As well as captaining his side to the title, it was a stunning tournament for Gonzalo Peillat who was named both Player of the Tournament and Tournament Top Scorer with a 15 goals to his name. The penalty corner expert has certainly marked himself as a player to watch over the coming years.
Women - Final Standings
1. Argentina, 2. Canada, 3. USA, 4. Chile, 5. Uruguay, 6. Venezuela, 7. Mexico, 8. Trinidad & Tobago, 9. Paraguay, 10. Jamaica, 11. Brazil.
Argentina (1st), Canada (2nd) and USA (3rd) have qualified for 7th FIH Women’s Junior World Cup
Player of the Tournament: Florencia Habif (Argentina)
Goal-keeper of the Tournament: Sofia Belen Monserrat (Argentina)
Top goal-scorer: Manuela Urroz (Chile) – 10.
Fair-play: Uruguay
Men - Final Standings
1. Argentina, 2. Canada, 3. Chile, 4. USA, 5. Trinidad & Tobago, 6. Mexico, 7. Barbados, 8. Uruguay, 9. Brazil, 10. Venezuela, 11. Jamaica, 12. Puerto Rico, 13. Guatemala.
Argentina (1st) and Canada (2nd) have qualified for the 10th FIH Junior World Cup. Chile (3rd) will be the 1st reserve country.
Player of the Tournament: Gonzalo Peillat (Argentina)
Goal-keeper of the Tournament: Kevin Pereira (Canada)
Top goal-scorer: Gonzalo Peillat (Argentina) – 15.
Fair-play: Barbados
By FIH
