Olivia Fiechter, who married just a fortnight ago and now plays under her Weaver surname, came back from two games down to beat US compatriot Amanda Sobhy in the women’s gold medal match at the Pan American Games in Santiago.
Meanwhile Peruvian Diego Elías became a two-time Pan American champion in men’s squash by defeating Colombian Miguel Ángel Rodríguez in the final.
The women’s final – a rematch of the 2023 US Women’s Championship final – proved to be a spectacle for the packed gallery at the Centro Deportivo de las Raquetas.
Sobhy started the final in the same commanding form that saw her reach the final without dropping a game, taking the first two games 11-4, 11-6. Weaver started to gain a foothold to take the third game 11-6, and carried the momentum for the rest of the match to win 11-5, 11-6 in fifty-two minutes. The result marked Weaver’s first win against Sobhy in two years.
“I can’t believe it, I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Weaver said. “I was down 2-0 and things were not going my way. I just told myself to stay committed to my game plan. I went out there in the third game and told myself ‘this is going to be the longest game of my life, if I’m going down I’m going to leave it all out there.’ I’m just over the moon that I was able to turn it around and find my game.”
Weaver will now team up with Sobhy in both the women’s doubles and team competitions in search of more medals.
“It’s incredible to for Team USA to win gold, silver and bronze. It’s not new to anyone that the US women are making a huge statement on the squash tour. To have three US women on the podium is incredible and just a huge testament to US Squash who put their full support behind us and all of the positive things to come.”
🥇🥇 ¡DIEGO ELÍAS ES BICAMPEÓN PANAMERICANO DE SQUASH!
🇵🇪 El integrante del Programa de Apoyo al Deportista (PAD) del IPD venció 3-1 al colombiano Miguel Ángel Rodríguez y conquistó la medalla de oro en Santiago 2023.#IPDenSantiago2023 pic.twitter.com/6F9NfIWN1x
— ipdperu (@ipdperu) November 1, 2023
Meanwhile Elias won 11-4, 7-11, 11-5, and 11-4, repeating the achievement from Lima 2019 against the same opponent.
Elías said: “I am happy to defend the title here in Santiago. It’s my second Pan American medal, and it’s truly a dream come true. I don’t know how to explain it. I feel good, incredible, and happy with this medal.
“The truth is that the pressure has been quite intense in these Pan American Games. It has been tough, so now I am more relaxed and can enjoy this victory.
With Elías’ gold, Peru climbed to eighth position in the medal standings, matching Chile’s eight gold.
Team USA became the first nation to claim all three women’s individual medals at the quadrennial Pan American Games.
The US ensured at least a bronze and silver medal after the first day of play Tuesday night when twenty-year-old Marina Stefanoni upset Canada’s 3/4 seed Nicole Bunyan in five games.
That result set up an all-American semi-final on Wednesday morning between the Harvard senior and Harvard graduate Sobhy. The top seed and world No.5 was in her best form and dispatched her teammate 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 to reach the finals.