Chile wins historic bronze medal by beating Mexico at home

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, August 20, 2023.- Chile achieved its first medal in the Pan American Cup, beating Mexico 3-0 (25-22, 25-25, 25-2) and taking third place in the XVI Pan American Cup Senior Men's Volleyball.

It was an even match, with options for both teams, but it was Chile that managed to adjust at the end of the sets to secure the medal, despite the pressure from the fans that filled the Arena Astros in Guadalajara.

Chile had small advantages in attack 39-37, 10-6 in blocking and tied 1-1 in aces, with 27 points of unforced errors committed by Mexico and 25 conceded by Chile.

Vicente Parraguirre, from Chile, continued “on fire” by scoring a total of 20 points, all in attacks, while Diego Gonzalez, from Mexico, finished with 17 points.

Daniel Nejamkin, coach of Chile: “We are very happy, surely the best game of the tournament, against a super demanding rival like Mexico, which is a great team. Obviously, we wanted to win, but 3-0 was not in the plans, but the goal was achieved better than expected”.

Dusan Bonacic, captain of Chile: “It was something that we had considered, to seek for a medal. We had had opportunities in some Pan American Cups, like in 2019 or last year in Canada; This is something very important, we are super happy because we also had the stadium against us, with Mexican fans that did not stop cheering and the boys from Mexico who always fought, they all have my respect”.

Vicente Parraguirre, Chile's best scorer: “We came looking for a medal and we are very happy to achieve our goal, also happy for the level and character we showed playing this match. We have been growing game by game and that's what we come from that makes us happier”.