The Saturday day of the Portuguese mission at the Oran2022 Mediterranean Games was marked by six medals, four of them gold, and a ‘jump’ to ninth in the medallion.

To reach 18 medals, six golds, seven silvers and five bronzes, Portugal took a ‘leap’ with a ‘wonder’ sextet that played the national anthem four times, three at the Oran Olympic Stadium and once in the complex’s swimming pool.

João Coelho and Cátia Azevedo ‘shone’ in the 400 meters on the track, while Camila Rebelo sounded “A Portuguesa” in the pool in the 200 meters backstroke, with Leandro Ramos, in the javelin throw, adding a new first place.

On the road, cyclist Daniela Campos got a second place that motivated Anadia’s under-23 European Championships this month, and Diogo Ribeiro, who had won gold in the 50-meter backstroke, was second in the 100-meter backstroke.

With this, Portugal ninth in the medallist and is already close to the 24 medals of Tarragona2018, in which ‘only’ below is gold, and with a smaller mission below — there are 159, in Spain of the 221 four years ago.

In Algeria, Portugal has added podiums, mainly in athletics and swimming, but the table has achieved four in four tournaments, singles, men and women, and in teams of each gender, and cycling.

The good news continued in shooting, in which Maria Inês Barros dominated qualifying in the Olympic pit, with the best record of the day, while in shooting, with an air pistol, Joana Castelão was seventh in the final.

Still in the pool, Tamila Holub swam the 800-meter freestyle further than she could do, in fifth place, Ana Rodrigues was sixth in the 100-meter breaststroke, Francisca Martins seventh in the 200-meter freestyle, with Alexis Santos (ninth) and Francisco Quintas (13. º) ) without endings in the 50 breaststroke.

In the final of the 50 mariposa, Ana Guedes was sixth and Mariana Cunha eighth.

In cycling, and in addition to Vera Vilaça’s 13th and Beatriz Roxo’s 14th, in the same group in which Daniela Campos arrived, Luís Gomes was 19th in the men’s race, marked by a cut and a fall, with Rafael Reis in 27th, Fábio Costa in 46th, Fábio Fernandes in 49th and Francisco Campos in 51st.

The winning handball for the semi-finals by beating North Macedonia19-17, and the dispute for the winners.

On the other hand, final double defeat with Turkey in 3×3 under-23 basketball, in the men’s quarters losing 18-14 and the women’s 13-10.

Far from the medals in athletics, but close to the podium, was Patrícia Silva, fourth in the 800 meters, and Evelise Veiga, bronze in the long jump, sixth in the triple.

Today, several athletes in athletics come into action, with Lorène Bazolo and Rosalina Santos in the 200 meters, José Carlos Pinto in the 800 meters and Mariana Machado, absent from the 5,000, present in the 1,500 meters, among others.

In swimming, Camila Rebelo returns in the 50 meters, with Rafaela Azevedo, João Costa and Alexis Santos swimming the same event, Ana Rodrigues and Francisca Martins compete in the 100 freestyle and Gabriel Lopes and Alexis Santos in the 200 styles, are still programmed as 4 × relays 200 meters freestyle, in both genders.

In shooting with hunting weapons, Ana Rita Rodrigues, Maria Inês Barros, Olympian João Paulo Azevedo and José Bruno Faria also fight for medals.

*** Lusa traveled at the invitation of the COP ***