Dominant Brazil seal Paris 2024 ticket with emphatic win at the 2023 Pan American Games

Brazil became the fifth team qualified for the women’s competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after sealing the title in the 2023 Pan American Games, with a clean five-game sweep of their opponents, with the lowest margin of win coming in the final against Argentina, 30:18.

It was the seventh consecutive title at the Pan American Games for Brazil, who have now a 40-game unbeaten streak in the competition, with 39 wins in a draw, as their last loss was in 1995, when they secured the bronze medal.

The Pan American Games, which served as a qualification competition for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, saw eight sides battle for the coveted title, with two groups of four sides each in the preliminary round, played in a round-robin format. Two teams qualified for the semi-finals, the top two sides in each group, as Argentina and Brazil were the two big favourites.

In Group A, Argentina spared no resources and finished as the top attacking side after the first three matches, scoring 105 goals against Chile, Puerto Rico and Canada. The South American powerhouse started with a 46:17 win against Puerto Rico, doubling down with another dominating win against Chile, 28:15, as they finished with a 31:10 win over Canada. Back Elke Karsten was the team’s top scorer in each game, totalling 24 goals over the first three matches.

Wins against Canada (23:14) and Puerto Rico (23:15) saw Chile progress to the semi-finals from the second place, as they still had a chance to seal a medal. However, Chile had to face Brazil, which dominated the proceedings in Group B.

The reigning champions, bringing a strong core of players, who are mostly featuring in strong European leagues, had no issues in disposing of Paraguay (27:15), Uruguay (29:8) and Cuba (49:11), as wings Adriana Castro and Marina Costa each scored in double digits over the three matches, with coach Cristian Silva handling his rotation excellently, giving time on the court to all his players.

The semi-finals were a foregone conclusion, as both Brazil and Argentina dominated their opponents, setting up a crunch final in Viña del Mar, Chile. While Argentina clearly outplayed Paraguay, 28:18, Brazil went up a notch and finetuned their approach by limiting hosts Chile to only 10 goals scored in 60 minutes, cruising to a 30:10 win.

The final was always going to be a big matchup between the two forces of the South American continent, but Brazil ensured that nothing is left to change, with a strong start of the match dictating the tempo.

Argentina never took the lead in the match, as the first pivotal moment came between the 14th and the 22nd minutes, when Brazil used a 5:0 run, spurred by centre back Francielle da Rocha and right wing Adriana Castro, with two goals each, to create a 13:6 lead.

It was game over from that moment, even if Brazil had another 4:0 run in the second half, with both da Rocha and Castro finishing the match with seven goals, on Brazil’s way to a 30:18 win, another dominating performance, which underlines both the team’s quality and the drive to secure more titles.

Securing the title at the 2023 Pan American Games, Brazil became the fifth team qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after hosts France, European champions Norway, the Republic of Korea and Angola, which punched their ticket through the continental Qualification Tournaments.

Argentina will be heading to the Olympic Qualification Tournaments, due to take place in April, while Paraguay sealed the bronze medal with a 23:21 win over hosts Chile.

Brazil’s Adriana Castro was the top scorer of the competition, with 33 goals, followed by Paraguay’s Fernanda Insfran (32 goals) and Maria Fernandez (29 goals). Two Brazilian goalkeepers, Gabriela Dias Moraschi (46%) and Renata de Arruda (45%), had the best saving efficiency in the five games.

Final standings 2023 Pan American Games – Women’s tournament

1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Paraguay
4. Chile, 5. Puerto Rico, 6. Cuba, 7. Uruguay, 8. Canada