We lived five spectacular and emotional days, as it was the first time that the Central American teams were going to have the opportunity to participate in an international 11v11 event. Many of these teams are used to train during the year in reduced formats such as Hockey 5, so this time they would have to show all their technical, tactical and physical knowledge to be able to face each game.
In a round-robin format, this tournament opposed the teams of Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvadoran on the men’s side, and Panama, Guatemala and Costa Rica on the women's side.
Ademir Montenegro, President of the Panamanian Hockey Federation said: “It was a great experience for us, it is an Olympic format, the teams were able to make the tournament competitive, so we can say that this first Central American championship was a success”.
“We are proud of all the work carried out by the entire team of volunteers. We know that we do not have resources but we love the game and work to make our sport, field hockey, continue to grow and become a great sport both in Panama and in Central America”.
Guatemala (men & women) were crowned champions, beating the teams from Panama in both cases. The men won 1-0 while the women won after an exciting shootout competition.
At the end of the tournament, Cristina Giron (GUA) said “It was an incredible journey, the team was magnificently prepared, and I think that everyone was able to see all the work we did, both individually and as a group. This is a sport that we love, this title is a reward for all our sacrifice, being able to hang this medal on us cannot be compared to anything”.
Men - Final Standings:
1. Guatemala
2. Panama
3. Costa Rica
4. El Salvador
Player of the Tournament: Jonathan Presa (ESA)
Goal-keeper of the Tournament: Aldair Bejarano (CRC)
Top Goal Scorer: Jason Pineda (GUA)
Women – Final Standings:
1. Guatemala
2. Panama
3. Costa Rica
Player of the Tournament: Celina Portugal (PAN)
Goal-keeper of the Tournament: Karla Guzman (GUA)
Top Goal Scorer: Celina Portugal (PAN)
