Paranaguá concluded its participation in another edition of the Paraná Open Games on Thursday, the 29th. The delegation represented the municipality in four modalities in the final phase of division B, namely volleyball (F), basketball (F), beach handball (M/F) and seven-a-side football (M).
The teams had a great campaign and returned home with four medals, two gold, one silver and one bronze.
With this, Paranaguá remains among the top five in the overall ranking for the third consecutive year. In 2017, the municipality won third place overall in União da Vitória, the following year, it was fifth best in Coronel Vivida and is now once again among the top three in Ivaiporã, sharing the podium with Cascavel (1st place overall) and Foz do Iguaçu (2nd place overall).
The mayor of Paranaguá, Marcelo Roque, congratulated the athletes for their participation in the Games. “More than just medals, our athletes represent our city with their behavior on and off the field, as well as their integrity and effort. I believe that everyone has learned this from training and takes it to every competition,” he said.
Sports Secretary Darlan Janes was present in Ivaiporã to accompany the teams during the Games and commented on the achievement. “Paranaguá remains undefeated among the top five in the competition, which shows the determination and responsibility of our athletes and managers. I congratulate the efforts of all the teams that gave their best in representing our city,” highlighted the secretary.
BEACH HANDBALL
Among the highlights are the two gold medals won by the beach handball teams. This is the second gold medal for the teams in a span of just one week. In the Paraná Beach Handball Cup, which took place on August 17 and 18, the teams played great matches and won first place, as they did in the Open Games.
Athlete Wilson Brian, a defender on the team, commented on his participation and achievement of first place. "I started practicing in 2012 and I worked hard to reach this level. The competition is extremely important because it serves as preparation for the Brazilian Championship, and it also helps us to improve and keep Paranaguá in the spotlight."
Vivian Araujo accompanied the team and commented on the matter. “Being able to participate alongside more experienced athletes is very rewarding. I see it as an opportunity to evolve even more. Representing the city is a source of great joy and responsibility for me, which is why I always do my best to achieve good placements,” she emphasized.
Vinícius Forigo, South American champion for the Brazilian National Team, spoke about his satisfaction in representing the city. "AHPA is like my family, I have spent my entire life representing the association and the city. The pleasure of winning each title is as if it were the first. An incredible feeling of joy and duty fulfilled. Without a doubt, today I am part of not only one of the best teams in the state but also one of the best in Brazil, I am grateful to be able to be part of this development", concluded Forigo.
Simone Rodrigues, also an athlete representing the city in the sport, commented on her career in the sport. "My passion began when I was 11 years old. I represented the city for a long time, I ended up taking some time off to dedicate myself to my family and recently I returned to the team and I am very happy. I am very proud to represent our city alongside this team that is a reference in the sport, I am very happy to have achieved yet another goal alongside them", highlighted the athlete.
BASKETBALL
The team representing the sport came in second place on the podium and returned home with the silver medal. In addition, the representation serves as an example of unity for the city, given that it is made up of four athletes from the same family. In the final phase of the Paraná Open Games, Carla Olmo competed alongside two of her three daughters. "I started playing the sport when I was 14 years old, and I have been on the top step of the podium more than ten times at the Paraná Open Games. Today I feel thrilled to be able to share the experience I have in the sport and share the court with my daughters, which is an immense satisfaction. In addition, being on the court representing our city through the Associação Amigos do Basquete de Paranaguá – AABP makes me very proud. I am very happy to share yet another achievement with them and the entire team," Carla said.
The Olmo sisters attended the Paraná Open Games alongside their mother and spoke about how they feel about representing the city. "I have admired basketball since I was little, thanks to my parents' encouragement and because I watched them play the sport up close. I have spent several years fighting alongside my sister for good results, and also alongside my father, who coaches the team. In 2016, I had the opportunity to share the court with my mother, and from then on, we have always competed together," said Lorena Olmo.
VOLLEYBALL
Representatives from Paranaguá in the sport faced several challenges in this stage and were among the top three in the competition, taking home the bronze medal. The girls entered the court with the goal of moving up to division A and with a lot of effort, they achieved it. In addition to Paranaguá, three other teams are moving up to division A, including Cascavel, Foz do Iguaçu and Pitanga. The teams will meet again in the competition that will take place from October 11 to 20, in Toledo.
Marcelo Reisdorfer, the coach responsible for the women's team, commented on the matches. "We competed against the best in each region. There were no easy games, but we managed to impose our pace of play and achieved our goal. We moved up to the A series, placing among the three best teams in the competition and now we will focus our efforts on the next stage," the coach highlighted.
Assistant coach João Paulo Santana congratulated the girls on their efforts in yet another competition. "Our goal has always been to move up to Division A and this year we achieved it. We are now among the top 10 teams in the state, all thanks to our daily efforts. I would like to thank the entire team, athletes, managers and those responsible for the work that was done to enable us to fulfill this duty," said João Paulo.
The team representing the seven-a-side football event also had a great performance at the Games, reaching the round of 16.
Secom/PMP
Photos: publicity
