From training to the podium: how Bogotá Élite built one of the strongest teams at the Pan American Championships

ODYTA Summary

Bogotá Élite was recognized as Junior Women's Club Champion at the Guarne 2026 Pan American Speed Skating Championships, a result described as the most visible outcome of a multi-year development project. The club also competed in the Preinfantil (11 years) and Infantil (12 years) categories. Coach Cristian Díazgranados said the competition confirmed the club's growth and the consolidation of a process begun in its formative categories, and that success should not be measured only by medal counts but by athletes' technical, tactical and personal development. In the Junior Women's category, Ángela Victoria Parra won the 200-meter Remates and the Vuelta al Circuito and took silver in the 500 meters + Distancia Sprint. Juliana Poveda won gold in the 8,000 meters points race and silver in the 8,000 meters elimination, while Saray Daniela García won the Pan American title in the 8,000 meters elimination and finished fourth in the 200 meters Remates. According to the source, these results made Bogotá Élite the best club in the Junior Women's category. The article also reports that the athletes' social media posts emphasized support from coaches, families and teammates rather than individual medals, which the source says aligns with Díazgranados's stated aim of building strong groups rather than depending on one or two figures.