2010 Pan American AEROBIC Gymnastics Championships

Mexico’s 19 year old Josefath Veloz Lelazquez prevailed in Men’s Individual, while Daiana Nanzer and Leonardo Perez of Argentina took the title in Mixed Pairs and Argentina’s Group won over host Brazil and Chile. Brazil grabbed the title in the Team rankings, with Argentina in second and Venezuela in third.

For Marcela Lopez, winning the Gold in a home championship was the greatest gift she could have received. 'Representing Brazil abroad is very important, but at home it is even more so. I was supported by many fans, my mother was watching, and I was able to reach my two Gold medal goal. All this makes the Pan American Championships very special to me. I'm really happy,” said Marcela.

Luciana July, member of the Aerobic Gymnastics Technical Committee of the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation, was also ecstatic with the results. 'We are so pleased. An international tournament features a lot of gymnasts and to make the Final is really good. To place among the top three and get a medal, that makes us very proud,' she said.

The Pan American Championships in Aerobic Gymnastics was first held in Brazil this year, and attended by about 160 gymnasts from eight countries - Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia. It included competitions for seniors and juniors in the 12 – 14 and 15 – 17 year Age Groups.

The championships were attended by Mireille Ganzin (FRA), President of the FIG Aerobic Gymnastics Technical Committee. 'I am very impressed with the level of this tournament and I would like to congratulate all the gymnasts we saw over three full days of competition for their outstanding performances. I'm sure that with work of this calibre we’re on our way to turning Aerobic Gymnastics into an Olympic sport,' said Ganzin.

The President of Brazilian Gymnastics Federation (CBG), Luciene Resende, also expressed satisfaction with the presentations put on by these countries. 'We showed that we are able to host a major championship in Aerobic Gymnastics, and our objective now is to try to bring a World Championship or World Series event to Brazil. The sport is strong in this country, and we have a triple World Champion to prove it,' Resende said.
*source: Brazilian Gymnastics Federation; adapt. GYMmedia)