# 1997 South American Championships in Athletics

The 1997 South American Championships in Athletics were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina between 4 and 6 April.

## Medal summary
### Men's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 metres (wind: +2.0 m/s) | Sebastián Keitel Chile | 10.30 | André da Silva Brazil | 10.32 | Carlos Gats Argentina | 10.46 |
| 200 metres (wind: -4.2 m/s) | Claudinei da Silva Brazil | 21.06 | Sebastián Keitel Chile | 21.13 | Sidney Telles de Souza Brazil | 21.32 |
| 400 metres | Sanderlei Parrela Brazil | 46.17 | Carlos Zbinden Chile | 47.33 | Gustavo Aguirre Argentina | 47.52 |
| 800 metres | Valdinei da Silva Brazil | 1:46.89 | Flavio Godoy Brazil | 1:48.50 | Manuel Balmaceda Chile | 1:51.58 |
| 1500 metres | Edgar de Oliveira Brazil | 3:47.76 | José Valente Brazil | 3:50.64 | Pablo Ramírez Ecuador | 3:51.85 |
| 5000 metres | Eduardo Carrasco Chile | 14:08.48 | Néstor García Uruguay | 14:15.56 | Pedro Rojas Colombia | 14:17.48 |
| 10,000 metres | Eduardo Carrasco Chile | 29:07.77 | Emerson Iser Bem Brazil | 29:10.67 | Pedro Rojas Colombia | 29:11.74 |
| 3000 metres steeplechase | Wander Moura Brazil | 8:35.40 CR | Pablo Ramírez Ecuador | 8:48.50 NR | Julián Peralta Argentina | 8:54.64 |
| 110 metres hurdles (wind: +3.8 m/s) | Emerson Perín Brazil | 14.21w | José Humberto Rivas Colombia | 14.29w | Oscar Ratto Argentina | 14.64w |
| 400 metres hurdles | Eronilde de Araújo Brazil | 49.35 | Cleverson da Silva Brazil | 49.85 | Carlos Zbinden Chile | 50.11 |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Brazil Nelson Ferreira Emerson Perin Claudinei da Silva Sidnei de Souza | 40.07 | Chile Pablo Almeida Ricardo Roach Sebastián Keitel Carlos Moreno | 40.08 | Argentina Jorge Polanco Gabriel Simon Guillermo Cacián Carlos Gats | 40.11 |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Brazil Eronilde de Araújo Sanderlei Parrela Inaldo Sena Valdinei da Silva | 3:04.20 CR | Chile Carlos Moreno Ricardo Roach Alejandro Krauss Carlos Zbinden | 3:07.98 | Colombia Wenceslao Ferrín Llimy Rivas Fernando Robledo Julio César Rojas | 3:09.10 |
| 20,000 metres track walk | Héctor Moreno Colombia | 1:23:06.73 CR | Sérgio Galdino Brazil | 1:23:28.06 | Cláudio Bertolino Brazil | 1:28:02.74 |
| High jump | Gilmar Mayo Colombia | 2.26 CR | Fabrício Romero Brazil | 2.15 | Wagner Príncipe Brazil | 2.15 |
| Pole vault | Oscar Veit Argentina | 4.85 | Fernando Pastoriza Argentina | 4.80 | Sebastián Ortiz Uruguay | 4.70 |
| Long jump | Nelson Ferreira Brazil | 7.84 | Márcio da Cruz Brazil | 7.59 | Yesid Cossio Colombia | 7.32 |
| Triple jump | Anísio Silva Brazil | 16.24 | Márcio Cardoso Brazil | 15.89 | Alejandro Gats Argentina | 14.99 |
| Shot put | Édson Miguel Brazil | 17.44 | Marco Antonio Verni Chile | 16.82 | Andrés Solo de Zaldívar Chile | 15.74 |
| Discus throw | Ramón Jiménez Gaona Paraguay | 57.32 | Marcelo Pugliese Argentina | 54.18 | Julio Piñero Argentina | 53.00 |
| Hammer throw | Juan Cerra Argentina | 68.92 | Adrián Marzo Argentina | 66.36 | Eduardo Acuña Peru | 59.72 |
| Javelin throw | Nery Kennedy Paraguay | 75.08 | Luiz Fernando da Silva Brazil | 74.88 | Luis Lucumí Colombia | 74.00 |
| Decathlon | Alejandro Acosta Argentina | 6546 | Santiago Lorenzo Argentina | 6495 | Alexis Recioy Uruguay | 6433 |
| WR world record | AR area record | CR championship record | GR games record | NR national record | OR Olympic record | PB personal best | SB season best | WL world leading (in a given season) |||||| |

### Women's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 metres (wind: +4.5 m/s) | Lucimar de Moura Brazil | 11.47w | Felipa Palacios Colombia | 11.48w | Zandra Borrero Colombia | 11.75w |
| 200 metres (wind: -0.8 m/s) | Felipa Palacios Colombia | 23.20 CR | Lucimar de Moura Brazil | 23.51 | Olga Conte Argentina | 23.90 |
| 400 metres | Olga Conte Argentina | 53.41 | Maria Figueirêdo Brazil | 53.49 | Norfalia Carabalí Colombia | 54.47 |
| 800 metres | Luciana Mendes Brazil | 2:03.56 | Mercy Colorado Ecuador | 2:06.90 NR | Fátima dos Santos Brazil | 2:09.08 |
| 1500 metres | Janeth Caizalitín Ecuador | 4:33.65 | Niusha Mancilla Bolivia | 4:34.90 | Célia dos Santos Brazil | 4:35.29 |
| 5000 metres | Stella Castro Colombia | 15:48.82 CR NR | Érika Olivera Chile | 15:52.27 | Elisa Cobañea Argentina | 16:05.51 |
| 10,000 metres | Stella Castro Colombia | 33:24.07 CR | Érika Olivera Chile | 33:56.98 | Mónica Cervera Argentina | 36:39.25 |
| 100 metres hurdles (wind: +8.0 m/s) | Verónica Depaoli Argentina | 13.41w | Maurren Maggi Brazil | 13.65w | Vânia da Silva Brazil | 13.95w |
| 400 metres hurdles | Verónica Depaoli Argentina | 59.05 | Maria dos Santos Brazil | 59.62 | Marise da Silva Brazil | 60.00 |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Colombia Mirtha Brock Norfalia Carabalí Felipa Palacios Sandra Borrero | 44.58 CR | Brazil Maria Magnólia Figueiredo Lucimar de Moura Claudete Alves Pina Kátia Regina Santos | 45.21 | Argentina Daniela Lebreo Veronica Depaoli Vanesa Wohlgemuth Olga Conte | 46.18 |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Colombia Mirtha Brock Norfalia Carabalí Felipa Palacios Janeth Lucumi | 3:36.71 | Brazil Maria Magnólia Figueiredo Luciana Mendes Claudete Alves Pina Fatima dos Santos | 3:38.18 | Argentina Daniela Lebreo Marina Arias Veronica Depaoli Olga Conte | 3:40.72 |
| 10,000 metres track walk | Geovana Irusta Bolivia | 46:01.1 CR | Miriam Ramón Ecuador | 46:50.6 | Bertha Vera Ecuador | 47:15.9 |
| High jump | Solange Witteveen Argentina | 1.89 =CR | Delfina Blaquier Argentina Orlane dos Santos Brazil | 1.83 | | |
| Pole vault | Déborah Gyurcsek Uruguay | 3.85 CR | Alejandra García Argentina | 3.50 | Mariela Laurora Argentina | 3.45 |
| Long jump | Maurren Maggi Brazil | 6.54 | Andrea Ávila Argentina | 6.26w | Mónica Falcioni Uruguay | 6.25w |
| Triple jump | Andrea Ávila Argentina | 13.76 | Maria de Souza Brazil | 13.72 | Luciana dos Santos Brazil | 13.30 |
| Shot put | Elisângela Adriano Brazil | 18.16 CR | Alexandra Amaro Brazil | 16.34 | Silvana Filippi Argentina | 13.81 |
| Discus throw | Elisângela Adriano Brazil | 58.46 CR | Liliana Martinelli Argentina | 52.26 | María Eugenia Giggi Argentina | 45.80 |
| Hammer throw | María Eugenia Villamizar Colombia | 55.48 | Karina Moya Argentina | 54.30 | Zulma Lambert Argentina | 50.64 |
| Javelin throw | Zuleima Araméndiz Colombia | 56.66 | Sabina Moya Colombia | 55.30 | Mariela Arch Argentina | 54.08 |
| Heptathlon | Euzinete dos Reis Brazil | 5549 | Zorobabelia Córdoba Colombia | 5428 | Joelma Souza Brazil | 4380 |
| WR world record | AR area record | CR championship record | GR games record | NR national record | OR Olympic record | PB personal best | SB season best | WL world leading (in a given season) |||||| |

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Brazil | 18 | 19 | 9 | 46 |
| 2 | Colombia | 9 | 4 | 7 | 20 |
| 3 | Argentina | 8 | 9 | 17 | 34 |
| 4 | Chile | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| 5 | Paraguay | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Ecuador | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 7 | Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 8 | Bolivia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Peru | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (9 entries) | Totals (9 entries) | 43 | 44 | 42 | 129 |

## Participating nations

* Argentina (63)
* Bolivia (3)
* Brazil (58)
* Chile (18)
* Colombia (25)
* Ecuador (10)
* Panama (2)
* Paraguay (5)
* Peru (16)
* Uruguay (25)