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Inline
speed skating is a relatively
young sport and Latin America
is one of the largest regions
where the sport is participated.
The region has very long traditions
of roller skating with nations
like Argentina and the powerful
Colombia and Chile. Venezuela
is also fighting hard to join
the group.
The
Latin delegations have been
planning their assult on the
Asian nation after gaining a
taste for Asia last year at
the Suzhou World Championships.
The
strongest country in the region
is the Colombian Team that will
look to retain their crown as
the #1 skating nation in the
world. The team is made up of
24 superstars like Jorge Botero,
Nelson Garzon, Anderson Ariza,
Cecilia Baena, Alexandra Vivas
and Berenice Moreno in senior
categories. Also in the junior
categories, they have great
competitors like Carolina Upegui,
Margarita Botero and Carlos
Puerto. The team has been training
hard twice a day in the lead
up to the championships in the
El Salitre Complex in Bogota.
They will depart on August 22
and transit in Toronto.
Argentina
and Chile will aim for a good
result and will hope this is
a team building year for them.
14 Argentinean athletes will
travel to the Worlds and Andrea
Gonzalez and Melisa Bonnet appear
as the strongest competitors
to medal although Javier Mc
Cargo may be the surprise packet
in the team. In the juniors,
Ornela Vicoli and Agustin Sanjuan
already demonstrated their great
conditions in numerous continental
events and now they will have
the opportunity to do so at
Worlds. The team will depart
on August 27th from Buenos Aires
via Sydney, Australia.
Meanwhile, the Chilean Team
–sponsored by PatinCarrera.com-
will be made up of by eighteen
athletes this year where they
will look for to retake the
positions they lost last year.
This year, Catherine Peñan
(2005 World Champion), Janine
Ibañez and Valeria Riffo
in the junior lades are the
strongest chance to get a medal
but also Carolina Santibañez,
Johan Stuardo and Ricardo Verdugo
can be a chance. The team will
depart on August 25th to Seoul.
The great tragedy of 2006 will
be the fact that the Venezuelan
team will not participate in
Anyang due to political problems;
whereas the Dominican Republic,
Panama and Costa Rica will make
their debut at the CIC World
Championships.
El Salvador –with Diana
Platero as the leader-, Guatemala,
Mexico and Ecuador complete
the Latin American nations that
will be present in South Korea.
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