(JULY 21)  (COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Team USA closed the 2014 Pan American Olympic Festival in gold medal fashion with four final round victories on Sunday in Mexico City. All four American competitors won gold medals in the multi-sport event, which provided a preview of next year’s Pan American Games in Toronto. 2012 Olympian Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) and multi-time national champion Cam F. Awesome (Lenexa, Kansas) each earned four wins en route to Pan American Olympic Festival Championships. 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) and 2012 Olympic Champion Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) took three victories a piece to win their gold medals in Mexico City. 

Awesome, one of the most internationally traveled boxers on the U.S. squad over the last two years, took pride in representing the men’s squad at the 2014 Pan American Olympic Festival. He took on the first of three host nation opponents for the U.S. team in final round competition on Sunday. Awesome ignored the rowdy, hometown crowd and defeated Mexico’s Edgar Ramirez by unanimous decision in the super heavyweight championship bout. 

Esparza faced off with the second member of Mexico’s team in her women’s flyweight final round bout with Sulem Urbina. Once again, it was the American boxer taking gold by unanimous decision. The Olympic bronze medalist won a 3-0 victory over Urbina to earn the second gold medal of the night for Team USA. 

The trend continued in Underwood’s women’s lightweight showdown with Mexico’s Victoria Torres. The 2012 Olympian clinched the Pan American Olympic Festival title with a 2-1 victory over Torres to earn her second gold medal in continental action this year. She opened the year with a victory in the annual Independence Cup in the Dominican Republic. 

Shields enjoyed the chance to close the show for her American squad on Sunday night. She took on the Dominican Republic’s Yenebier Guillen in the female middleweight championship bout and Shields earned her second victory of the year over the Dominican boxer. The Olympic gold medalist once again sent the American flag to the rafters with a unanimous decision over Guillen in the final U.S. bout on Sunday.

Despite having only four competitors, the United States placed second in the team standings with Mexico and its 13 participants taking the first place position.

 

The Pan American Olympic Festival was a multi-sport event with approximately 3500 athletes competing in 23 sports across Mexico.

 

U.S. Results

112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas/USA dec. Sulem Urbina, MEX, 3-0
132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA dec. Victoria Torres, MEX, 2-1
165 lbs/female: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich./USA dec. Yenebier Guillen, DOM, 3-0
201+ lbs/male: Cam F. Awesome, Lenexa, Kansas/USA dec. Edgar Ramirez, MEX, 3-0

 

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