Key Takeaways
- Paraguay’s Martin Abud and Facundo Dehnike won the men’s gold medal with a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Argentina’s Santino Contreras and Ignacio Piotto.
- Victoria Milena Vilchez and Maria Belen Mosca earned women’s gold for Argentina, winning the final 6-2, 6-3 against Chile without dropping a set all tournament.
- Paraguay’s Martin Abud celebrated the milestone victory: “Gold medal! Paraguayan Padel has reached the highest levels in South America. Now let’s enjoy this moment.”
Historic gold medals decided in front of 4,100 fans in Rafaela
Padel celebrated a landmark milestone at the XIII South American Games 2026, officially entering the multi-sport competition as a medal discipline following earlier exhibition matches at Asuncion 2022. Across 4 days of intense competition, 32 athletes representing 8 national teams battled for podium spots, culminating in packed sessions at the Invencible Stadium in Rafaela, Argentina. A sold-out crowd of roughly 4,100 spectators filled the venue on finals day.
Paraguay and Argentina claim the top prizes
In the men’s championship match, Paraguay’s Martin Abud and Facundo Dehnike denied the home crowd a title sweep by defeating Argentina’s Santino Contreras and Ignacio Piotto 6-4, 7-6. The Paraguayan duo capped an exceptional tournament in which they dropped only 1 set throughout the entire competition, an opening-day qualifying battle against Uruguay’s Artia Malugani and Ensslin Alves. The victory continues a brilliant run for Abud and Dehnike, who had already earned qualification for the Doha World Cup in late August by winning the FIP World Cup Qualifiers South America.
Speaking after their triumph, an overjoyed Abud celebrated the achievement: “Gold medal! Paraguayan Padel has reached the highest levels in South America. Now let’s enjoy this moment.”
The home supporters found plenty of reason to cheer in the women’s final. Victoria Milena Vilchez and Maria Belen Mosca delivered gold for Argentina with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 victory over Chile’s Catalina Arancibia and Kimberley Ahumada Carrasco. Vilchez and Mosca completed a flawless campaign at the Games, never dropping a set while conceding just 15 games across all their matches. Despite the defeat, Arancibia took home silver weeks after leading the Chilean national team to Doha World Cup qualification at the South American qualifiers.
Bronze medals and medal round results
In the third-place matches, Ecuador captured the women’s bronze medal as Alejandra Alvarez and Marines Holguin Reyes defeated Peru’s Nicole Aragones Miro Quesada and Maria Paula Torres Draxl in straight sets, taking a tense opening-set tie-break before racing away with the second set 6-1. In the men’s bronze match, Uruguay’s Juan Ignacio Artia Malugani and Higor Ensslin Alves comfortably defeated Chile’s Daniel Salinas Ordenes and Marias Negrete Oliva 6-2, 6-2.
| Event | Medal match | Winning pair | Losing pair | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s Doubles | Gold medal | Martin Abud / Facundo Dehnike (Paraguay) | Santino Contreras / Ignacio Piotto (Argentina) | 6-4, 7-6 |
| Men’s Doubles | Bronze medal | Juan Ignacio Artia Malugani / Higor Ensslin Alves (Uruguay) | Daniel Salinas Ordenes / Marias Negrete Oliva (Chile) | 6-2, 6-2 |
| Women’s Doubles | Gold medal | Victoria Milena Vilchez / Maria Belen Mosca (Argentina) | Catalina Arancibia / Kimberley Ahumada Carrasco (Chile) | 6-2, 6-3 |
| Women’s Doubles | Bronze medal | Alejandra Alvarez / Marines Holguin Reyes (Ecuador) | Nicole Aragones Miro Quesada / Maria Paula Torres Draxl (Peru) | 7-6, 6-1 |
Padel continues international multi-sport expansion
The successful tournament in Santa Fe represents another significant step in the International Padel Federation’s global roadmap. Rooted in values of inclusion, social interaction, and the Olympic Charter, padel’s multi-sport integration gained momentum after featuring at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto. The expansion continues rapidly in 2026 with appearances at the Asian Games in Nagoya and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh, followed by the European Games in Istanbul in 2027.
