Sport in Chile
Sports in Chile are performed at both amateur and professional levels, practiced both at home and abroad to develop and improve, or simply represent the country.
Valparaíso is Chile's main sport, and due to the emerging nitrate industry in the north, it became a crossroads for ships coming from Europe, bringing equipment and personnel for newspapers, firefighting, railroads, steam engines, and others.
Chilean sport originated in the town of Valparaiso in the second half of the 19th century by the British and their descendants born in Chile, who began to ride horses, and then played cricket.
Then rugby and football clubs were created with British names that continue to be used, as Wanderers and Everton are still present in the port and its neighboring city, Viña del Mar.
[7] Sport initially served as a demonstration of spirit and promoted the health of its followers, but later became an expression of entertainment that would gain spectators and fans.
Manuel Plaza Reyes ran 42.195 kilometers in 2 hours 33 minutes and 23 seconds to win a silver medal in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.
[10] The athlete with the most recent win is sprinter Sebastián Keitel, who was considered at the time to be the fastest white man in the world in the 200 meter dash.
The best Chile male athlete in triathlon is Felipe Van de Wyngaard, who has made significant achievements nationally and abroad.
The greatest boxing figure of the 1930s was Arturo Godoy, who fought twice against Joe Louis, and was, until his retirement, South American champion in all weights.
[14] Ramón Tapia, Claudio Barrientos and Carlos Lucas were silver and bronze medalists in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
One of the most memorable fighters were flyweight Martín Vargas, who was South American champion in his specialty and tried four times to get the world boxing title for Chile, losing at every opportunity, but becoming a national idol.
[19] In 1981, the International Olympic Committee in New York awarded General Eduardo Yáñez Zavala distinction as "the best rider of all time" for his significant achievements in the 1930s and 1940s.
[22] Golf is played in each of the major cities of central and southern Chile, and lately the game has spread considerably in popularity.
In December 2010, Thomas Gonzalez was awarded the "Condor of Gold" by the Circle of Sports Journalists of Chile as the best Chilean sportsman of the year.
[26] Dubó won the final match in the category of 75 kilos, by a close margin in a fierce struggle against Turk Müslüm Baştürk that was decided by arbitrary decision.
Chile has participated in major events, like the ODESUR Games, where Chilean Taekwondo has added to date ten gold medals, earned by athletes Leopoldo Araneda, Fernando Remedy, Esteban Vitagliano and Renzo Zenteno in 1986; Diego Yánez and Humberto Norambuena in 1990; Anyelina Contreras, Sergio Cárdenas and Felipe Soto in 1994; Felipe Soto in 1998, and several silver and bronze medals.
[33] This trial is one of the world's toughest rallies, and competitive drivers like Eliseo Salazar and Carlo de Gavardo participate in the auto category.
[34] Another World Champion is Francisco "Chaleco" López in the 450 cc category,[35] somewhat surprising when taken into account the fact that the team did it with a Honda and not a KTM, the number one motorcycle used in rally.
The worldwide organization for the sport is the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), founded in May 1976 in Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Some of the best association football players in Chile have been Sergio Livingstone, Enrique Hormazábal, Leonel Sánchez, Elías Figueroa, Carlos Caszely, Roberto Rojas, Iván Zamorano, Humberto Suazo, Alexis, Arturo Vidal and Marcelo Salas.
The majority of activity in the sport of baseball takes place in the northern part of Chile, where it was introduced from abroad in the early 20th century.
The Basketball Senior Division of Chile (DIMAYOR) is the professional league which involves twelve teams, and the current champion is Club Liceo Mixto de Los Andes.
Chile has hosted the Men's World Roller Hockey Championship twice, once in 1962, where every game was played in the National Gymnasium, and again in 1980 held in the port city of Talcahuano.
The most recognized Rugby teams in Chile are Club Deportivo Universidad Católica, Old Boys and Stade Francaise, in Santiago; Old Mackayans and Sporting, in Viña del Mar; and Los Troncos and Old John's, in Concepción.
Prominent Chilean tennis player Anita Lizana was the first Latin American to win the Grand Slam (Forest Hills predecessor of the current US Open),[58] and Hans Gildemeister was fifth in doubles in 1987 (with Andrés Gómez).
With regard to the number 1 obtained by Marcelo Ríos, the gold medals in the Olympics, the bichampionship in Düsseldorf and the end of the Davis Cup, note that Chile was the first South American country to achieve these accomplishments.
The greatest Chilean participant in weightlifting is Cristián Escalante Carroza, the Pan American champion in the field of more than 105 kilos.
[65][66] In 2005, Cerda and Felipe Leal won second place in the lightweight coxless trial in the World Rowing Championship in the Japanese city of Gifu.
Historically the best Chilean swimmer was the well-known Víctor "Tiburón" Contreras, famous for his times over long distances, who set the world record for crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.
[71] Located in the Valparaíso Region is the resort of Portillo, which claims to be the oldest in South America and which hosted the 1966 World Alpine Ski Championships.
