Colombia Secures Early Medals at 2026 South American Games

Colombia began the South American Games Santa Fe 2026 with a strong performance on Sunday, September 13, earning two gold medals and four silver medals. Daniela Zapata won gold in the women's one meter springboard diving event with 253.00 points, while Thomas Mejía took gold in the men's individual artistic gymnastics all around competition with 78.750 points. Additional silver medals were earned in the men's artistic gymnastics team event and three swimming races. In swimming, Laura Sofía Melo took silver in the women's 200 meter individual medley, and both the men's and women's 4x200 meter freestyle relay teams finished in second place. Brazil leads the overall medal table with 14 gold medals. There is a discrepancy between reports regarding Colombia's exact standing: one source places Colombia in third place with six total medals, while another source places them in second place with ten total medals. Other results included beach volleyball, where the men's team won their debut match and the women's team suffered two losses. In eSports, Colombian athletes saw mixed results in Assetto Corsa and EA Sports FC, while the Valorant team lost matches against Uruguay and Chile. Fencing competitions also began with Colombian athletes competing in the women's foil and men's sabre events.