Hosts USA Strike Triple-Gold In PanAm Championships

26 Sep 2016

In the 24th staging of the Pan American Squash Championships - but the first to be held in the USA - the hosts clinched three gold medals, including a clean sweep in the Team Championships.

Played over a week at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, the event began with the individual championships. 18-year-old Californian Mariam Kamal, winner of the Pan American Junior Championship title last month, claimed the women's title in an all-USA final against Haley Mendez - both players having eliminated the top two seeds in the semi-finals.

A tough men's final which went the full distance saw unseeded Leandro Romiglio upset second-seeded Mexican Arturo Salazar 9-11, 11-4, 3-11, 12-10, 12-10 to become Argentina's first men's champion since 2004.

Salazar recovered to take gold in the Men's Doubles event, partnering Eric Galvez to an 11-5, 11-2 win for Mexico over Chileans Rafael Allendes and Sebastian Gallegos in the final.

Chile took gold in the Women's Doubles, however, where Giselle Delgado and Anita Pinto upset Nayelly Hernandez and Luz Sarahi López Dominguez, the No.2 seeds from Mexico, 11-8, 6-11, 11-10.

Argentina scored a sole gold in the championships when Antonella Falcione and Gonzalo Miranda progressed from a mighty upset over the top seeds in the Mixed Doubles semi-finals to win the final 11-7, 9-11, 11-4 over Colombians Catalina Pelaez and Erick Herrera.

Team USA (pictured above) were victorious over Argentina in the men's team final and against Mexico in the women's climax - both ties going the full distance and Mariam Kamal leading the women's team to become the only double gold-medallist in the 2016 PanAm Championships.

Men's Individual Quarter-Finals:
Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt Tyler Osborne (CAN) 11-4, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4
Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) bt Josue Enriquez (GUA) 11-8, 12-10, 11-0
Edgar Zayas (MEX) bt [3/4] Christopher Gordon (USA) 8-11, 12-14, 12-10, 11-6, 11-5
[2] Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt Eric Galvez (MEX) 8-11, 11-1, 11-1, 8-11, 11-2
Semi-finals:
Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) 11-5, 11-4, 11-4
[2] Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt Edgar Zayas (MEX) 11-2, 11-4, 11-4
Final:
Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt [2] Arturo Salazar (MEX) 9-11, 11-4, 3-11, 12-10, 12-10

Women's Individual Quarter-Finals:
[1] Diana Garcia (MEX) bt Fernanda Rocha (ARG) 13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4
Haley Mendez (USA) bt [4] Anita Pinto (CHI) 11-7, 12-10, 11-7
Mariam Kamal (USA) bt [3] Giselle Delgado (CHI) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9
[2] Catalina Pelaez (COL) bt Nayelly Hernandez (MEX) 5-11, 11-5, 9-11, 13-11, 14-12
Semi-finals:
Haley Mendez (USA) bt [1] Diana Garcia (MEX) 11-1, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5
Mariam Kamal (USA) bt [2] Catalina Pelaez (COL) 7-11, 11-4, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5
Final:
Mariam Kamal (USA) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 11-7, 11-5, 12-10

Men's Doubles Semi-Finals:
Eric Galvez and Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt Robertino Pezzota and Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 4-11, 11-4, 11-6
Rafael Allendes and Sebastian Gallegos (CHI) bt Antonio de la Torre and Mauricio Sedano (GUA) 11-6, 11-4
Final:
Eric Galvez and Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt Rafael Allendes and Sebastian Gallegos (CHI) 11-5, 11-2

Women's Doubles Semi-Finals:
[3/4] Giselle Delgado and Anita Pinto (CHI) bt [1] Grace Doyle and Mariam Kamal (USA) 8-11, 11-10, 11-7
[2] Nayelly Hernandez and Luz Sarahi López Dominguez (MEX) bt [3/4] Karol Gonzalez and Ana Gabriela Porras (COL) 11-8, 11-5
Final:
[3/4] Giselle Delgado and Anita Pinto (CHI) bt [2] Nayelly Hernandez and Luz Sarahi López Dominguez (MEX) 11-8, 6-11, 11-10

Mixed Doubles Semi-Finals:
Antonella Falcione and Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) bt [1] Diana Garcia and Edgar Zayas (MEX) 11-9, 11-4
Catalina Pelaez and Erick Herrera (COL) bt [2] Winifer Bonilla and Josue Enriquez (GUA) 11-7, 7-11, 11-8
Final:
Antonella Falcione and Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) bt Catalina Pelaez and Erick Herrera (COL) 11-7, 9-11, 11-4

Men's Team Championship Semi-Finals:
USA bt MEXICO 2/1; ARGENTINA bt COLOMBIA 2/0
Final:
USA bt ARGENTINA 2/1 (Todd Harrity bt Leandro Romiglio 11-8, 11-6, 11-7; Faraz Khan lost to Gonzalo Miranda 11-13, 11-8, 9-11, 7-11; Christopher Gordon bt Robertino Pezzota 11-8, 11-4, 11-2)

Women's Team Championship Semi-Finals:
USA bt COLOMBIA 2/0; MEXICO bt ARGENTINA 2/0
Final:
USA bt MEXICO 2/1 (Mariam Kamal bt Diana Garcia 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8; Grace Doyle lost to Luz Sarahi López Dominguez 8-11, 6-11, 9-11; Marina Stefanoni bt Dina Soledad Anguiano Gomez 8-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-8)