# 1981 South American Championships in Athletics

The 1981 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Olímpico Hernando Siles in La Paz, Bolivia, between 5 and 8 November. The stadium was located 3600 metres above sea level, which is said to help the performance in some events.
It was the first edition to feature women's 3000 metres and 400 metres hurdles. Women's pentathlon was also replaced with heptathlon.

## Medal summary
### Men's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 metres | Katsuhiko Nakaia Brazil | 10.1A =CR | Altevir de Araújo Brazil | 10.3A | Luis Alberto Schneider Chile | 10.3A |
| 200 metres | Paulo Correia Brazil | 20.2A CR | Héctor Daley Panama | 20.5A | Luis Alberto Schneider Chile | 20.5A |
| 400 metres | Geraldo Pegado Brazil | 46.8A | Gerson de Souza Brazil | 47.8A | Pablo Squella Chile | 48.0A |
| 800 metres | Cristián Molina Chile | 1:53.6A | José Luíz Barbosa Brazil | 1:54.7A | Wilson dos Santos Brazil | 1:55.9A |
| 1500 metres | Emilio Ulloa Chile | 4:07.1A | Johnny Pérez Bolivia | 4:08.0A | Jaime Punina Ecuador | 4:09.0A |
| 5000 metres | Víctor Mora Colombia | 15:23.9A | Silvio Salazar Colombia | 15:51.4A | Johnny Pérez Bolivia | 15:59.4A |
| 10,000 metres | Víctor Mora Colombia | 31:56.4A | Silvio Salazar Colombia | 32:57.1A | Hugo Gavino Peru | 33:30.9A |
| Half marathon | Víctor Mora Colombia | 1:10:42A | Alfonso Torres Colombia | 1:13:20A | René Moldez Bolivia | 1:14:54A |
| 110 metres hurdles | Juan Carlos Fuentes Chile | 14.2A | Wellington da Nobrega Brazil | 14.4A | Andrés Lyon Chile | 14.4A |
| 400 metres hurdles | Antônio Dias Ferreira Brazil | 52.3A | Pablo Squella Chile | 52.7A | Donizete Soares Brazil | 53.0A |
| 3000 metres steeplechase | Emilio Ulloa Chile | 9:53.2A | Johnny Pérez Bolivia | 9:54.2A | Elói Schleder Brazil | 10:19.8A |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Brazil Paulo Correia Paulo Lima Katsuhiko Nakaia Altevir de Araújo | 39.6A CR | Chile Héctor Fernández Juan Carlos Fuentes Luis Alberto Schneider Francisco Pichott | 40.4A | Peru Ronald Raborg Giorgio Mautino José Luis Valverde Marco Mautino | 40.8A |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Brazil Agberto Guimarães Geraldo Pegado Gerson de Souza José Luíz Barbosa | 3:09.5A | Chile Rodrigo Muñoz Pablo Squella Francisco Pichott Emilio Ulloa | 3:11.8A | Argentina Jorge Díaz Nicolás Glass Raúl López Angel Gagliano | 3:12.2A |
| 20 kilometres road walk | Osvaldo Morejón Bolivia | 1:51:22A | Ernesto Alfaro Colombia | 1:52:52A | Waldemar da Silva Brazil | 1:53:10A |
| High jump | Jorge Archanjo Brazil | 2.15A CR | Cláudio Freire Brazil | 2.10A | Daniel Wolfberg Chile | 2.05A |
| Pole vault | Fernando Hoces Chile | 4.90A CR | Fernando Ruocco Uruguay | 4.70A | Renato Bortolocci Brazil | 4.60A |
| Long jump | Francisco Pichott Chile | 7.55A | Luís de Souza Brazil | 7.25A | Cláudio Flores Brazil | 7.25A |
| Triple jump | João Carlos de Oliveira Brazil | 17.05A CR | Francisco Pichott Chile | 16.23A | Angel Gagliano Argentina | 15.95A |
| Shot put | Gert Weil Chile | 17.48A | Juan Turri Argentina | 16.54A | José Jacques Brazil | 16.31A |
| Discus throw | José Jacques Brazil | 52.10A | Alejandro Serrano Chile | 48.94A | Andrés Pérez Chile | 45.44A |
| Hammer throw | Ivam Bertelli Brazil | 62.40A | Celso de Moraes Brazil | 61.22A | Daniel Gómez Argentina | 59.72A |
| Javelin throw | José de Souza Brazil | 75.02A CR | Luis Lucumí Colombia | 71.76A | Amilcar de Barros Brazil | 70.12A |
| Decathlon | Paulo Lima Brazil | 7383A | Claudio Escauriza Paraguay | 6702A | Fernando Brito Brazil | 6607A |

### Women's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 metres | Carmela Bolívar Peru | 11.2A CR | Daisy Salas Chile | 11.4A | Sueli Machado Brazil | 11.4A |
| 200 metres | Eucaris Caicedo Colombia | 23.6A | Sueli Machado Brazil | 23.8A | Carmela Bolívar Peru | 24.0A |
| 400 metres | Eucaris Caicedo Colombia | 53.6A CR | Tânia Miranda Brazil | 55.7A | Silvia Augsburger Argentina | 56.0A |
| 800 metres | Nancy González Chile | 2:17.7A | Luz Villa Colombia | 2:19.1A | Sandra Ferreira Brazil | 2:21.5A |
| 1500 metres | Norma Vallejos Chile | 4:57.9A | Nancy Chiliquinga Ecuador | 5:01.9A | Mery Rojas Bolivia | 5:04.0A |
| 3000 metres | Maricruz Sangines Bolivia | 11:04.2A CR | Norma Vallejos Chile | 11:09.0A | Mery Rojas Bolivia | 11:20.5A |
| 100 metres hurdles | Juraciara da Silva Brazil | 13.5A CR | Nancy Vallecilla Ecuador | 13.8A | Beatriz Capotosto Argentina | 13.9A |
| 400 metres hurdles | Conceição Geremias Brazil | 60.0A CR | Nancy Vallecilla Ecuador | 62.2A | Maria Ferreira Brazil | 62.7A |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Brazil Juraciara da Silva Conceição Geremias Sueli Machado Sheila de Oliveira | 45.3A CR | Peru Margarita Bustios Carmela Bolivár Rocío Roca Brigitte Winter | 46.7A (NR) | Argentina Susana Jenkins Araceli Bruschini María Sol Besada Beatriz Capotosto | 46.9A |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Brazil Tânia Miranda Sheila de Oliveira Sueli Machado Elba Barbosa | 3:49.4A | Argentina Silvia Augsburger María Sol Besada Beatriz Capotosto Anabella Dal Lago | 3:51.0A | Chile Nancy González Leslie Cooper Patricia Pérez Graciela Mardones | 3:59.3A |
| High jump | Ana Maria Marcon Brazil | 1.84A CR | Beatriz Bonfim Brazil | 1.77A | Liliana Arigoni Argentina | 1.71A |
| Long jump | Conceição Geremias Brazil | 6.26A CR | Araceli Bruschini Argentina | 6.22A | Graciela Acosta Uruguay | 5.97A |
| Shot put | Marinalva dos Santos Brazil | 14.80A | Maria Fernandes Brazil | 13.18A | Patricia Guerrero Peru | 12.97A |
| Discus throw | Odete Domingos Brazil | 47.62A | Selene Saldarriaga Colombia | 44.22A | Gloria Martínez Chile | 41.36A |
| Javelin throw | Marli dos Santos Brazil | 50.52A | Carolina Weil Chile | 49.96A | Ana María Campillay Argentina | 47.70A |
| Heptathlon | Yvonne Neddermann Argentina | 5451A AR | Olga Verissimo Brazil | 5116A | Paola Raab Chile | 5081 |
A = affected by altitude

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Brazil (BRA) | 21 | 12 | 12 | 45 |
| 2 | Chile (CHI) | 9 | 8 | 9 | 26 |
| 3 | Colombia (COL) | 5 | 7 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | Bolivia (BOL) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 5 | Argentina (ARG) | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| 6 | Peru (PER) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | Ecuador (ECU) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | Uruguay (URU) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Panama (PAN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Paraguay (PAR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (10 entries) | Totals (10 entries) | 39 | 39 | 39 | 117 |

## Participating nations

* Argentina (30)
* Bolivia (23)
* Brazil (50)
* Chile (33)
* Colombia (13)
* Ecuador (9)
* Panama (2)
* Paraguay (2)
* Peru (19)
* Uruguay (4)