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Peru's Stefano Peschiera receives Olympic medal at Paris 2024, bursts with happiness

14:02 | Marseille (France), Aug. 7.

Peruvian Stefano Peschiera is living the happiest moments of his life after receiving the bronze medal on Wednesday, which allows him to fulfill a dream he has had since childhood, when he started sailing; this achievement, which crystallized at Paris 2024, ended Peru's 32-year drought without an Olympic medal.

Peschiera claimed a bronze prize in sailing's Dinghy event at the Olympic Games, bringing his country back to the medal table for the first time since Barcelona 1992.

Peschiera claimed a spot on the podium at the Marseille venue in a race won by Australian Matt Wearn, who retained the gold from the Tokyo 2020 Games. The silver medal went to Cypriot Pavlos Kontides.

Photo: AFP

The 29-year-old athlete from Lima claimed the first Peruvian medal in sailing and the fifth in Peru's entire Olympic history.

Peru has five Olympic medals

Three of these medals were won in shooting, with gold for Edwin Vasquez (London 1948), as well as silver for Francisco Boza (Los Angeles 1984) and Juan Giha (Barcelona 1992).

The other silver medal was obtained by the women's volleyball team in Seoul 1988.

Peschiera —a member of a family long related to sailing— was the first Peruvian to compete in this sport at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.

He was ranked 31st at said event and 25th at Tokyo 2020.

The Paris 2024 Men's Dinghy Medal Race was able to proceed after light wind conditions in Marseille led to the postponement of many events previously scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

(END) AFP/JSO/MVB

Published: 8/7/2024