Led by Olympic medalist Paige Madden, the United States confirmed its power in continental swimming by winning four gold medals on Saturday on the sport’s first day at the Pan American Games.

In the logic of this competition, the other continental powers, Brazil and Canada, accompanied the Americans with two gold medals each in the Aquatic Center of the recently inaugurated National Stadium, in which the Venezuelan Alfonso Mestre, the Mexican María Mata Cocco and Miguel Lara and Argentina’s Macarena Ceballos also reached the podium.

Madden, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist in the 4×200 freestyle relay, won the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 4:06.45 to break the Pan American record. Her compatriot Dakota Luther was crowned in the 200 meter butterfly by beating Mexican María Mata Cocco by 28 tenths.

Mata Cocco’s medal stands out amid the conflict between the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sports (CONADE) and World Aquatics – the world governing body – which ignored Kiril Todorov as president of the Mexican swimming federation and appointed a commission to hold new elections. This dispute has impacted financial support for aquatic athletes.

Her compatriot Lara won bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke — her second Pan American medal — a race in which American Jacob Foster was crowned. Mason Laur won the fourth gold medal for the American delegation in the men’s 200-meter butterfly.

The United States is the leading Pan American swimming medalist with 44 gold medals.

Brazil began the competition with Guilherme Costa’s gold medal in the 400 meters, followed by Venezuela’s Alfonso Mestre — son of four-time Pan American medalist Alberto — and victory in the 4×100 freestyle relay.

Canadians Rachel Nicol and Sophie Angus won a double in the 100 breaststroke. At her third Pan American Games, Argentina’s Macarena Ceballos won her first medal at the age of 28, bronze in the 100 breaststroke.

Canada also took victory in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, with Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil playing a decisive role. Mac Neil, winner of the 100 butterfly at the Tokyo Olympics, propelled the Canadian team from third to first place by recording a time of 3 minutes and 37.75 seconds, beating the American team by 67 hundredths. Brazil won the bronze medal with a time of 3:39.94