| 49th South American Championships | |
|---|---|
 Official logo | |
| Dates | 12–14 June |
| Host city | Lima, Peru |
| Venue | Videna Stadium |
| Level | Senior |
| Events | 44 (22 men, 22 women) |
| Participation | 333 athletes from 13 nations |
| Records set | 8 |
The 2015 South American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: Campeonato Sudamericano Mayores 2015) was the 49th edition of the biennial athletics competition between South American nations. The event was held in the Peruvian capital of Lima from 12 to 14 June at the Videna Stadium. [1] It was the eighth time Lima hosted the event, having last done so for the 2009 edition. [2] A total of 44 events were held, evenly divided between the sexes, continuing with the event programme established in 2001.
Contents
Brazil topped both the medal and points tables, with 11 golds, 34 medals, and 285 points. This extended the nation's unbeaten run at the tournament to 22 editions, having last lost in 1974. Colombia and Venezuela were clear as the next most successful nations, each gathering 22 medals; Colombia ranked second on medals with nine gold and Venezuela ranked second on points with 228. Brazil won both the men's and women's team titles, with Venezuela coming second in the women's rankings and Colombia runner-up in the men's. [3] [4]
Sandra Arenas of Colombia provided the highlight performance of the meeting with a South American record of 1:31:02.3 hours—a 42-second improvement—to defend her 20,000 m racewalk title. A total of nine championship records were improved. Colombians Gerard Giraldo (men's steeplechase), Muriel Coneo (women's 1500 m) and Evelis Aguilar (heptathlon) made it four records for their nation. Brazil's field athletes set two championship records through men's javelin thrower Júlio César de Oliveira and women's discus thrower Andressa de Morais. Ecuador's Bayron Piedra (men's 10,000 m) and Déborah Rodríguez of Uruguay (women's 400 m hurdles) rounded out the eight record breakers. A total of sixteen national records in athletics were also improved at the competition. [5]
Two athletes completed individual doubles at the championships, both women. Muriel Coneo of Colombia won both the 1500 metres and 3000 metres steeplechase titles – a feat she had managed at the 2014 South American Games. [6] [7] Uruguay's Déborah Rodríguez did a shorter flat and barriers combination by winning the 800 metres and 400 metres hurdles, both in a national record time. [5] Venezuelan women's sprint duo Nediam Vargas and Nercely Soto each won four medals, reaching both individual and relay podiums and including a gold medal from each. [8] All winners at the competition gained qualification in their event for the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, in line with new IAAF rules. [1]
