Esmeralda Flores becomes world runner-up in Roller Skating

ODYTA Summary

Esmeralda Flores Montiel won the silver medal and became world runner-up in roller skating in the women's inline downhill time trial at the World Skate Games ASU26, hosted by Paraguay until October 18. The Mexican skater recorded a time of 1:12.379 in the descent held at Cerro Lambaré in Asunción. She finished 487 thousandths behind Colombia's Alef Torres, who won gold, while Chile's Danae Gómez took bronze with 1:12.795. Flores competed in one of the first medal finals of the World Skate Games. Her result places Mexico on the podium of an event that brought together inline downhill specialists. Flores faced a speed course at Cerro Lambaré, an elevated point near the Paraguayan capital that was prepared for inline downhill competitions. The discipline rewards the skater with the lowest time in an individual descent. Torres set the reference in the final and won the gold medal. Flores maintained a pace close to the Colombian during the race but finished second by a margin of less than half a second. Chile's Danae Gómez completed the all-American podium. Mexico, Colombia, and Chile took the top three places in the women's time trial at the start of the downhill competitions. Flores's second place gives her the title of world runner-up in the specialty in Asunción. The Mexican skater added a silver in a competition that brings together representatives from nearly 90 countries. The competition was held under the time trial format, with each athlete descending individually and the clock defining positions, without direct confrontations between participants during the course. Flores Montiel's performance marked one of Mexico's results on the first day of finals. She remained among podium contenders and secured silver behind Torres. The Colombian arrived in Paraguay with a background in the World Skate Games. In the 2024 edition held in Italy, Torres won two medals in inline downhill and in Asunción she again prevailed in the women's category. For Flores, the result represented a close battle for the top. Her time of 1:12.379 left her less than half a second behind the winner and allowed her to beat Gómez, who finished third. The women's event took place before the men's competition, in which Spain's Pablo Soler Cabañero won gold. Italy's Daniele Vecchi took silver and Colombia's Juan Agudelo Sánchez took bronze. Soler improved on his result from Italy 2024, when he finished third in the same discipline. This time he beat Vecchi and Agudelo in the downhill event to give Spain one of its first gold medals. The World Skate Games ASU26 bring together more than 8,000 athletes in roller skating competitions. The program includes disciplines such as inline downhill, skateboarding, skate cross, hockey, speed skating, and roller freestyle. Paraguay hosts this edition of the games until October 18. The competition is part of the World Skate calendar and brings together athletes seeking to consolidate international results toward the cycle leading to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The first day also featured activity in skateboarding vert. Japan's Mizuho Hasegawa won women's gold with 259.66 points, followed by her compatriot Shuka Kawai with 231.66. Brazil's Helena Laurino finished third with 195.17. Hasegawa arrived in Asunción after winning the park discipline at the World Skateboarding Tour World Cup held in Rome in June. She also won at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, held in September in Japan. In the men's skateboarding vert, American Jd Sánchez took first place with 274.46 points. Brazil's Gui Khury took silver and Australia's Hudson Walker took bronze. Italy won the women's skate cross with Matilde Arosio, Alice Delfino, and Ludovica Rimondi. France took second and third places, in addition to adding gold and silver in the men's event. Esmeralda Flores Montiel's silver keeps Mexico among the delegations that have already reached the podium in Asunción.