Badminton already knows its finalists, and the podium for the IV South American Youth Games Panama 2026 is being set.
A thrilling match that captivated those present and made several people in the stands stand up was between Sofía Rodas and Bárbara Lamas. The match was decided in three sets. In the first set, Rodas won 21-11. In the second set, Lamas prevailed 21-19. In the decisive set, Rodas delivered the final blow to secure the victory 21-16, earning the bronze medal on court 1.
Around 11 in the morning, the men’s doubles semifinals were played high quality matches where the four best teams faced each other for a spot in the final. In a close match, Fhelipe Teixeira and Marcos de Almeida of Brazil defeated Umesh Lescano and Guillermo Buendía of Peru.
The athletes who, with their talent, have dominated these days of badminton at the IV South American Youth Games Panama 2026 were Sofía Junco of Peru and Joalbert Laverde of Venezuela.
One of the curiosities of the day was the participation of the twins Paula Rodas and Sofía Rodas, born in Asunción, Paraguay. At 17 years old, their talent on the court, concentration, movement, and strength in every racket strike against the shuttlecock allowed them to secure their place in the final, where they will face Brazil’s Vivian Ihi and Yasmin do Nascimento in the gold medal match.
Men’s Singles (Venezuela)
Fabricio Rodríguez 0-2 Guillermo Buendía (Peru)
Umesh Lescano (Peru) 2-1 Jerónimo Giraldo (Colombia)
Women’s Singles (Venezuela)
Bárbara Lamas 1-2 Sofía Rodas (Paraguay)
Sofía Junco (Peru) 2-0 Paula Rodas (Paraguay)
Men’s Doubles (Peru)
Umesh Lescano and Guillermo Buendía 0-2 Fhelipe Teixeira and Marcos de Almeida (Brazil)
(Paraguay)
Thiago Acha and Marcos Rotela 0-2 Fabricio Rodríguez and Joalbert Laverde (Venezuela)
Women’s Doubles (Brazil)
Vivian Iha and Yasmin do Nascimento 2-1 Sofía Junco and Analía Yi (Paraguay)
(Paraguay)
Paula Rodas and Sofía Rodas 2-0 Alexmary Zerlin and Bárbara Lamas
Mixed Doubles (Chile)
Felipe Canario and Josefina Reyes 0-2 Juliana Castaño and Jerónimo Giraldo (Colombia)
(Peru)
Guillermo Buendía and Sofía Junco 2-0 Bárbara Lamas (Venezuela)
Men’s Singles (Peru)
Guillermo Buendía (Peru)
Umesh Lescano (Peru)
Women’s Singles (Paraguay)
Sofía Rodas (Paraguay)
Sofía Junco (Peru)
Men’s Doubles (Brazil)
Fhelipe Teixeira and Marcos de Almeida (Brazil)
Fabricio Rodríguez and Joalbert Laverde (Venezuela)
Women’s Doubles (Brazil)
Vivian Iha and Yasmin do Nascimento (Brazil)
Paula Rodas and Sofía Rodas (Paraguay)
Mixed Doubles (Colombia)
Juliana Castaño and Jerónimo Giraldo
(Peru)
Guillermo Buendía and Sofía Junco
The countries that will be present in the finals are Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia.
The gold medal finals will be played this Thursday, April 23, at the ITSE venue, starting at 10:00 a.m. (Panama time).
