Venezuela's Joselyn Brea achueved what no other athlete had done in the history of the Pan American Games: winning gold in both the 1,500m and 5,000m. The two-time world duathlon champion showed off her skills on Thursday,, winning the 12-and-a-half lap final in 16:04.12. She was back on the course just 24 hours later.

Brea started the 1,500m final with the fourth-best time among the finalists. In a thrilling race, she managed to stay in the lead despite pressure from her chasers. She completed the final lap in exactly one minute to win with in 4:11.80 - just six hundredths of a second faster than Cuba's Daily Cooper (4:12.02). Third place went to the disappointed American Emily Mackay (4:12.02), a far cry from her season's best of 3:59.

Cuban athlete Lázaro Martínez turned 26 on Friday and celebrated by winning gold in a fiercely contested triple jump final. The reigning world indoor champion and world outdoor runner-up reclaimed the title for his country after American Omar Craddock won it four years ago.

Martínez was the only one to break 17 metres, reaching 17.19 on his first attempt. He fouled on his second jump and decided to skip his last four jumps. Brazilian Almir dos Santos was second with 16.92 metres on his sixth attempt and the third spot went to fellow Cuban Cristian Nápoles (16.66), who won bronze at the last World Championships. Cuba thus repeated its two Budapest medals in Santiago de Chile.

The reigning World Indoor shot put champion, Darlan Romani, left no room for his rivals. The Brazilian bounced back from an eighth-place finish at the last World Championships to win his second consecutive gold medal at the Panam Games with a throw of 21.36 metres in his fifth attempt. He beat Mexico's Uziel Muñoz (21.15) and American Jordan Geist (20.53).

Darlan's victory, along with that of Merlene Santos in the 400m hurdles with a modest time of 57.18, ahead of Costa Rica's Daniela Rojas (57.41) and Michelle Smith of the Virgin Islands (57.53), put Brazil at the top of the medals table on the penultimate day of athletics with seven gold, eight silver, and three bronze medals. They're followed by the United States and Cuba, both with five gold medals. 

The high jump final also saw a second successive gold medal for Cuba's Luis Enrique Zayas (2.27m), a junior world champion seven years ago. Silver went to Puerto Rico's Luis Joel Castro (2.24) and bronze to the Bahamas' Donald Thomas (2.24) - now 39, a far cry from the 2.35 metres that made him world champion in Osaka 16 years ago.

In the javelin, Colombia's Flor Ruiz gave her rivals no chance and showed why she's the current world runner-up with a first attempt best of 63.10 metres. Rhema Otabor of the Bahamas was a distant second with 60.54, while American Madelyn Harris took bronze with 60.06.

To round off the medals, there was an American 'double' in the 10,000m as Isai Rodríguez broke away after the third lap to cover almost nine kilometres alone (28:17.84). Fellow countryman Samuel Chelanga took silver (29:01.21) and Guatemala's Alberto González, running as an independent, took bronze (29:12.24). Jamaican favourite Jaheel Hyde emerged victorious in the men's 400m hurdles in 49.19, followed by Brazil's Matheus Lima (49.69) and Cuba's Yoao Illas (49.74).