Four gold for Bolivia & Costa Rica wins gold at home at 2019 IRF World Junior Championships

Bolivia swept gold in the Girl’s Doubles divisions and won one of the Boy’s divisions also on Saturday at the 2019 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in San José, Costa Rica. Bolivia won every final that they had a team in.

Five of the six finals were won in two straight games. But they saved the best for last, and it was a crowd pleaser too, as the Men’s U18 final was between the home country’s 9th seeded Costa Rica team of Pablo Freer and Tomas Sanchez and the 6th seeded Esteban De Janon and Juan Flores of Ecuador. That match went to a tie-breaker with Freer and Sanchez coming out on top, 8-15, 15-6, 11-0, to win gold on home soil. Freer cracked out several drive serves in the breaker to help his team to the win.

In Boy’s U16, Bolivians Hector Barrios and Adrian Jaldin defeated the USA’s Nikhil Prasad and Timothy Hansen, 15-11, 15-10, and Irish luck ran out in the Boy’s U14 final, as Mexicans Luis Renteria and Jorge Gutierrez beat Ireland’s Daniel Hanrahan and Keelan O’Gorman, 15-4, 15-6.

In girls’ action, Bolivians Angelica Barrios and Valeria Centellas completed Bolivia’s gold medal sweep by winning Girl’s U18 over 3rd seeds Marifer Gutierrez and Anna Rivera of Mexico, 15-6, 15-8. The Bolivians sweep got started in Girl’s U14 with 2nd seeds Valeria Miranda and Krystin Salinas of Bolivia defeating Gisele Nieto and Angela Ortega of Mexico, 15-8, 15-11, and it continued when Bolivians Micaela Meneses and Camila Rivero captured gold in U16, as they beat 2nd seeds Guadalupe Griffin and Ximena Martinez of Mexico, 15-5, 15-4.

The IRF streamed some of the finals via its Facebook page), and the matches are archived there, so if you missed some of the action - or want to see it again - check it out on Facebook.

31st IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
San José, Costa Rica - November 9-16, 2019

U18 Boy's Doubles

Final - Saturday

9) Pablo Freer & Tomas Sanchez (Costa Rica) d. 6) Esteban De Janon & Juan Flores (Ecuador), 8-15, 15-6, 11-0

U16 Boy's Doubles

Final - Saturday

2) Hector Barrios & Adrian Jaldin (Bolivia) d. 5) Nikhil Prasad & Timothy Hansen (USA), 15-11, 15-10

U14 Boy's Doubles

Final - Saturday

3) Luis Renteria & Jorge Gutierrez (Mexico) d. 8) Daniel Hanrahan & Keelan O’Gorman (Ireland), 15-4, 15-6

U18 Girl's Doubles

Final - Saturday

1) Angelica Barrios & Valeria Centellas (Bolivia) d. 3) Marifer Gutierrez & Anna Rivera (Mexico), 15-6, 15-8

U16 Girl's Doubles

Final - Saturday

1) Micaela Meneses & Camila Rivero (Bolivia) d. 2) Guadalupe Griffin & Ximena Martinez (Mexico), 15-5, 15-4

U14 Girl's Doubles

Final - Saturday

2) Valeria Miranda & Krystin Salinas (Bolivia) d. 1) Gisele Nieto & Angela Ortega (Mexico), 15-8, 15-11

Follow the bouncing ball….