CHITRÉ, Panama, October 17, 2024.- Panama won the silver medal at the 20th AFECAVOL U21 Men’s Central American Championship after defeating Costa Rica 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-16), while Belize claimed the bronze.
This is Panama’s fourth silver medal out of a total of 10 medals, which also include 2 gold medals and 4 bronze. Panama finished the tournament with a 5-1 record and 21 points.
Belize won the bronze medal, their first medal in the history of the event, with a 4-2 record and 19 points.
Panama bounced back after losing the first set, finishing the match with advantage in attacks (53-33) and serves (8-6). Costa Rica outperformed Panama in blocking (14-8). Panama committed 29 errors, while Costa Rica had 28.
Three players led Panama in the win, with Víctor Pérez scoring 20 points, David De León adding 15, and Víctor Araúz contributing 11.
For Costa Rica, Denzel Jiménez was the top scorer with 13 points.
Despite Panama rallying from a four-point deficit (16-20) in the first set to tie at 22 points, Costa Rica dominated with Sheydrian Wilson blocking to secure the lead. In the second set, Panama gained a three-point advantage (20-17) and took control with a block from Christian Flores and a serve from David Della, leveling the match. Panama started strong in the third set (6-0) with blocks from Víctor Araúz and effective serves from Christian Flores, maintaining their lead throughout. With Pérez, supported by David De León, Panama sealed the match in the fourth set to win the silver.
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