Colombians Emanuel Morales and Jhonatan Botero delivered outstanding performances, reaching the podium at the 2026 UCI Aguavista XCO Cup – Class 1, held in San Juan del Paraná, Paraguay. This demanding mountain bike race also served as a qualifier for the 2026 Pan American MTB Championships.
The renowned Aguavista circuit, with laps of 5.1 kilometers, presented a technical course featuring explosive climbs, fast descents, and sections that demanded maximum concentration, especially after the rain that fell overnight, further challenging the race conditions.
In the cadet category, Miguel Paredes Echeverri took the victory with a total time of 44:41, followed by Emanuel Morales (GW Erco Sportfitness), who finished second after completing the three laps in 45:20, while Chilean Nicolás Ignacio Gómez came in third with a time of 45:26.
In the elite category, Brazilian Ulan Bastos Galinski (BH Coloma Team) won with a time of 1:26:24, followed by Luiz Henrique Cocuzzi (Audax Racing Team) with 1:28:56, while Colombian Jhonatan Botero completed the podium in third place with a total time of 1:29:15, after completing the six laps of the circuit.
Sports director Héctor Pérez highlighted the performance of his athletes over the weekend and the importance of the competition as preparation for the Pan American Games. “The overall assessment is very positive for the team this weekend. We competed in two countries, and these results are important because we faced direct rivals for the Pan American Games in the elite category,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Jhonatan Botero highlighted the difficulty of the competition and the strategy that allowed him to secure third place. “The race was tough from the start. A small group was whittled down, and the rain made the track even more demanding. The Brazilians attacked hard, and I chose to maintain my pace to secure third place,” he explained.
For his part, Emanuel Morales valued his performance and the demanding nature of the Paraguayan circuit. “It was a very fast and technical track, with good competitors. We achieved our goal, which was to reach the podium in second place. The rain made the track more challenging, but I felt very good, and I hope to achieve a good result at the Pan American Games,” he concluded.
Source: *With information from GW Erco Sportfitness Press