U.S. Wins Four Medals at Santiago 2023 Pan American Games
- October 25, 2023
- 10:21 pm
Badminton finals at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games took place on October 25, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. The U.S. came away with four medals across three events.
Photo Credit: Pan Am Sports
Photo Credit: Pan Am Sports
In the women’s doubles finals, Annie Xu and Kerry Xu faced Canada’s Catherine Choi and Josephine Yuenling Wu. The U.S. twins narrowly lost the first match, falling 18-21 to the Canadians. They fought back in the second game for a 21-10 win. In the third game, the U.S. pair would come just short of a win, losing 17-21.
“Overall, happy with our silver finish and our experience at Pan Am Games, but there were a few things to take away from our last game,” Annie Xu said. “We are always learning form each experience and hopefully we can come back stronger.”
Photo Credit: Joe Kusumoto
Photo Credit: Joe Kusumoto
In the women’s singles finals match, Beiwen Zhang faced fellow U.S. athlete Jennie Gai. It was a familiar matchup for the two, who have faced each other in previous tournaments. Zhang won in two straight games, 21-8 and 21-12.
Photo Credit: Joe Kusumoto
Photo Credit: Pan Am Sports
In the mixed doubles final, Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai faced Canada’s Ty Alexander Lindeman and Josephine Yuenling Wu. The Americans pulled through with a win in the first game, 21-17. In a tough second game, they were defeated 17-21. Finally in the third game, their heroic comeback came just short as they lost 19-21.
“For the game today, it was truly one of the most heartbreaking moments I’ve had in the sport,” Chiu said. “But that’s exactly what sport is and I will work twice as hard to make sure I secure the gold next time.”
Congratulations to all of our athletes on their results at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games! We are so proud of them for their efforts. Special thank you to Coach Hendry Winarto, Team Leader Esther Lin, Medical Lead Rajeev Trehan, and Press Officer Trenton Szeto for their hard work in supporting the athletes at this event. Go USA!
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