Over 400 athletes from across the continent descend on the Estadio Alfonso Galvis Duque in Medellin to compete for the newly established Pan-Am Athletics Championships - and for coveted spots on the road to the Pan American Games Lima 2027.
Pan American Athletics Association confirmed the championship winners across all 50 scheduled events will earn direct qualification to the 2027 Pan American Games. The event also carries World Athletics Category A status, meaning athletes will earn critical points toward qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing — adding yet another layer of significance to every performance on Colombian soil.
The Estadio Alfonso Galvis Duque underwent a major transformation ahead of the event. A brand-new purple track surface inspired by the iconic Paris Olympic venue.
More than 400 athletes from 28 nations registered. The inaugural edition of the Pan American Athletics Championship stands among the most competitive in this kind of event. Host nation Colombia leads all delegations with 55 athletes — 29 men and 26 women — competing in front of their home crowd in Medellín. Among the headliners, Brazil has confirmed a 30-athlete delegation, split equally between men and women, featuring some of the highest-ranked competitors in the World Athletics standings. Leading the charge are Caio Bonfim, world champion in race walking, and sprinting standout Ana Carolina Azevedo, one of South America’s premier 100m and 200m competitors.
The United States brings a roster built for championship moments. Olympic gold medalists, world champions, and Diamond League winners headline a 27-athlete delegation anchored by former world record holder hurdler Dalilah Muhammad and 2023 World discus champion Laulauga Tausaga.
Canada sends a formidable 30-athlete team anchored by some of the nation’s brightest stars. Sprinter Eliezer Adjibi, current World Relay champion, headlines the men’s side, while the women’s squad features Olympic finalist Audrey Leduc in the 200m, World finalist Jillian Weir in the hammer and World Bronze medalist Lauren Gale in the 400m. Chile competes with 18 athletes, including discus and shot put specialist Claudio Romero and hammer thrower Gabriel Kehr among the men.
Beyond the major nations, the championship reflects the full breadth of Pan American athletics. The Dominican Republic sends 36 athletes, Venezuela 33, Mexico 36, and Puerto Rico 29. Smaller delegations from Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and the U.S. Virgin Islands round out the field.
Source: PanAm Sports - Press Bulletin
