This weekend, gymnasts throughout South America will meet in Colombia for this year’s South American Championships with the competition beginning on Friday.

Nine nations will send WAG competitors, with the host team looking especially strong, including past World Championships competitors Ginna Escobar, Marcela Sandoval, Yurany Avendaño, Bibiana Velez, and Catalina Escobar, all of whom competed at the recent Four Nations Trophy in Italy.

The Brazilian team, fresh off of a strong competition in Belgium, is also preparing to attend, including Daniele Hypolito, Jade Barbosa, Leticia Costa, Mariana Oliveira, and Lorena Rocha. This will be the first time Barbosa has competed since her knee injury sustained at Brazilian Championships last summer. New seniors Flavia Saraiva and Rebeca Andrade are not expected to attend.

Other gymnasts set to attend include Ayelen Tarabini, Ailen Valente, Maria Belen Stoffel, Merlina Galera, and Camila Ambrosio of Argentina, Diana Vasquez, Dianne Soria, and Stephanie Jordan of Bolivia, Franchesca Santi, Makarena Pinto, Simona Castro, and Melany Cabrera of Chile, Giulianna Pino, Ericka Mina, and Britany Pena of Ecuador, Isabella Amado and Valentina Brostella of Panama, Mariana Chiarella, Ariana Orrego, Ana Karina Mendez, Nicole Hein, and Paola Bautista of Peru, Federica Sasco of Uruguay, and Katriel de Sousa, Paola Marquez, Ivet Rojas, Cindy Ruiz, and Eliana Gonzalez of Venezuela.

The competition begins Friday afternoon with the women competing on vault and bars, and continues Saturday with bars and beam. All-around and team medalists will be awarded on Saturday, and the competition will conclude with event finals on Sunday. The meet should be a strong determiner of what we can expect at the Pan American Games, beginning in Toronto next month.

Article by Lauren Hopkins