Athletics – XVIII Pan American Games – Lima 2019 – Marathon – Kennedy Park, Lima, Peru – July 27, 2019. Peru’s Christhian Sime Pacheco Mendoza leads the Men’s Marathon REUTERS/Sergio Moraes/Pool
July 27, 2019
(Reuters) – Peru’s Christian Pacheco completed a marathon sweep for the host country when he smashed the Pan Am Games record with a personal best time in winning the men’s event on Saturday.
Carrying a Peruvian flag on his back down the home straight, the 26-year-old crossed the line to huge cheers from a packed crowd on a cool morning.
Pacheco’s unofficial time of two hours, nine minutes and 31 seconds smashed the old Pan Am Games record which had stood since 1983.
He finished more than a minute clear of his rivals, and was already taking a victory jog before the Mexican duo of Jose Luis Marin Santana and Juan Pacheco claimed the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Earlier, Gladys Tejeda won the women’s race for Peru in a record time of two hours, 30 minutes and 55 seconds.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ian Chadband)
