Santiago, Chile.

Olympic monarch at Tokyo-2020, Canadian Maggie MacNeil is the headliner of swimming of the Pan American Games of Santiago, which begins Saturday with the United States defending its supremacy despite notable absences.

In addition to MacNeilone of the most renowned figures of this continental competition, the pool of the Chilean capital will receive other Olympic medalists like the American Brooks Curry and the Brazilian Fernando Scheffer.

Born in China and adopted as a baby by a Canadian family, Mac Neil won two years ago at the Tokyo Games obtaining a medal of each color and, at 23, he has great ambitions for the next Paris-2024 event.

The swimmer also monopolizes eight world championship titles as well as the world records in the 100m butterfly and 50m backstroke in the short course, a territory on which he focused his efforts due to the serious asthma problems he had to endure throughout his career.

There swimmingwhich offers Santiago the possibility of achieving the minimum scores for Paris-2024, It will be held from Saturday to Wednesday at the Aquatic Center, located in the National Stadium sports park.

This sport, one of the great attractions of the first week of the continental event, will award eight medals on its first day: in the 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle, all in both sexes.

• The United States is the great Pan-American power in this sport, with a total of 747 medals, including 344 gold, since the first edition in Buenos Aires-1951.

• During the last Pan American Games in Lima-2019, the United States topped the medal table with 44 medals (21 gold, 15 silver and 8 bronze), followed by Brazil with 30 (10 gold , 9 silver and 11 bronze).

In Santiago, “Team USA” will present five athletes on the Tokyo-2020 podium, led by Brooks Curry, the only competitor at the Pan American Games who, in addition to MacNeilwon gold in this Olympic event, in his case in the 4x100m relay.

The women’s team, without its emblem from the last decade, Katie Ledecky will also try to shine with its own light with jewelry like Erica Sullivan silver in the 1,500m at Tokyo-2020, and Catie DeLoof, who will be the rival of MacNeil in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle.

– Brazil claims its place –

The main Latin American power, swimming The Brazilian wants to maintain her status with a team led by Fernando Scheffer which includes other Olympians such as Leonardo De Deus and Marcelo Chierighini.

Scheffer, 25, reached the podium Tokyo-2020 with a bronze medal in the 200m freestyle and in Santiago he will be one of the Brazilian flag bearers during the inauguration ceremony.

Argentina finished third in swimming of the last Pan American Games but, starting a process of renewal of the team, she participates without Delfina Pignatiello, already retired, who accumulated three of the four gold medals in Lima-2019.

For Mexico will return Miguel de Lara, bronze in the 200m breaststroke in Lima, while home fans will be able to cheer on veteran Kristel Köbrich, who went on to take silver in the 1,500m freestyle.

At 38, Köbrich has five Pan American medals and this Friday she will also have the honor of representing the host delegation as a flag bearer.