A week after winning the Junior Pan American Taekwondo championship, 15-year-old Deireanne Morales (Lynwood, Calif.) has added a Pan Am Games bronze medal to her collection. Morales won a bronze medal in Saturday's female flyweight (-49kg) division in Guadalajara, Mexico.

 

She started the day with an overtime victory over Guatemala's Elizabeth Zamora and then a 10-3 win over Brazil's Katia Arakaki to reach the medal round. There Morales faced a seasoned vet in 2008 Olympian and 2007 Pan Am Games bronze medalist Ivett Gonda of Canada. Gonda prevailed in the match, 8-3, and went on to win the gold medal over Peru's Lizbeth Julissa Diaz Canseco. Mexico's Jannet Alegria claimed the other bronze medal in the division.

 

In men's flyweight (-58kg) action, Olie Burton (Accokeek, Md.) lost his opening round match to Jhonnatan Mejia of Guatemala, 15-11. Yulis Gabriel Mercedes Reyes of the Dominican Republic won the gold medal, with Mexico's Damian Villa taking the silver and Cuba's Frank Ismel Diaz and Brazil's Marcio Ferreira winning the two bronze medals.

 

Competition continues on Sunday with the men's and women's featherweight divisions. The U.S. will send Nicole Palma (Lake Worth, Fla.) and Terrence Jennings (Alexandria, Va.) into action on Sunday.

BRACKETS
Men’s flyweight (-58kg)
Men’s featherweight (-68kg)
Men’s welterweight (-80kg)
Men’s heavyweight (+80kg)

Women’s flyweight (-49kg)
Women’s featherweight (-57kg)
Women’s welterweight (-67kg)
Women’s heavyweight (+67kg)

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