Brazil and Colombia make history: Double gold and record in Pan American swimming

In a historic day for the Junior Pan American Games held in Asunción, an unprecedented tie occurred in the women’s 50-meter freestyle event, awarding the gold medal to both the representative of Brazil and that of Colombia. Stephanie Balduccini, from Brazil, and Isabella Bedoya, from Colombia, clocked an identical time of 25.42 seconds, which not only secured them a shared gold but also set a new junior Pan American record in this discipline. This achievement also grants them a direct pass to compete in the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima.

The fact that two swimmers tie to the hundredth of a second in a final of this level, and that they also break the junior continental record, highlights the parity and the very high competitive level that youth swimming is experiencing in America.

Panam Sports

Balduccini, specializing in the 100-meter freestyle, has had an outstanding career, including a sixth-place finish at the 2024 Doha World Championships and a silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games, held in Chile. About to turn 21 years old, the Brazilian swimmer has a curious peculiarity: she learned English before Portuguese. For her part, Isabella Bedoya added the number 19 gold medal for Colombia in these games.

This type of tie in sports finals, although uncommon, has left its mark on the history of sports.

A notable example was at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in the men’s high jump event, where Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy) and Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) shared the gold after tying in the final. After matching the same height (2.37 meters), they chose not to have a tiebreaker, demonstrating great sportsmanship. In the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Carrie Steinseifer (USA) and Nancy Hogshead (USA) tied in the 100-meter freestyle, both obtaining the gold medal. In Rio 2016, Penny Oleksiak (Canada) and Simone Manuel (USA) also shared the gold in the 100-meter freestyle, setting a new Olympic record. The II Junior Pan American Games bring together more than 4,000 athletes from 41 countries in the Americas, competing in 28 sports and 42 disciplines.