Continuing to build the Highland Games worldwide, the IHGF came to Chile for its inaugural Highland Games.

2018 IHGF Chilean Highland Games
by Francis Brebner
President, International Highland Games Federation (IHGF)
 
The inaugural IHGF Chilean Highland Games, staged in Santiago, Chile, was a great success. The games were attended by the mayor of San Bernardo Santiago de Chile, Mrs. Nora Cuevas Contreras, and vice-mayor Mrs. Lorena Oviedo, who officially opened the games. The Santiago Metropolitan Pipe Band played throughout the day, creating a great atmosphere. Seventeen athletes competed, from all over Chile as well as from Uruguay and the USA. In the A group spectators witnessed an exciting competition, as home favorites Manuel Angulo and Mauricio Vivallo put up good all-round performances against USA’s Eddie Brown, Andrew Heaton and Richard Campbell.
 
The A group consisted of Manuel Angulo, Mauricio Vivallo, Felipe Moran, Joaquin Ballivian, Rene Qiroz, Jose M. Ballivian, Marcelo Aguilar, Andrew Heaton, Richard Campbell and Eddie Brown.
 
The first event, the 16-lb. hammer, was won by Brown with a throw of 115’ 8”. Second place was close, with Heaton on his final attempt pulling ahead with 106’ 7” to Angulo’s 101’ 3”.
 
Brown notched his second victory in the 22-lb. hammer with a throw of 92’ 3”. Again, Heaton snatched second place, at 85’ 9”, from Angulo, who came third at 82’ 11”.
 
In the 22-lb. Braemar stone, Brown won comfortably with a throw of 38’ 1/4”, followed by Joaquin Ballivian at a respectable 36’ 1”. Third place was a ding-dong battle, with Heaton at 34’ 1/2” just pipping Angulo at 33’ 7”.
 
Joaquin Ballivian took his first win for Chile in the 16-lb. open stone with a nice putt of 47’ 8”. Second place was almost a tie, with Brown edging Heaton at 43’ 8-1/2” to 43’ 8”.
 
In the 56-lb. weight for distance, Brown threw a series all over 34’, with his best at 34’ 5” for another victory. Heaton followed with 31’ 2”. Third place was a skirmish between Joaquin Ballivian and Vivallo, with Ballivian taking third by a whisker with 25’ 3” to Vivallo’s 23’ 2”.
 
Brown was in a realm of his own in the 28-lb. weight for distance at 67’ 4”. Heaton took second at 61’, with Angulo in third at 57’ 4”.
 
The 56-lb. weight stood at 16’ for another win by Brown. Heaton did 15’ and Angulo 14’.
 
In the 20-lb. sheaf over bar, Brown and Heaton topped out at 24’ 9” with Brown winning on countback. Angulo came in third at 23’ 9”.
 
The caber, which was 17’ and 125 lb., was tossed at 11:57 by Heaton on his final attempt for first. Brown was second with 11:56 and Angulo third, doing 2:40.
 
Top three overall:

1. Eddie Brown
2. Andrew Heaton
3. Manuel Angulo
 
In the men’s lightweight class, Karl Gehrke (USA) made a clean sweep of all events and set all new field records. Campbell put up a good all-round performance and recorded several field records in the 50-plus age group. Angulo also established all new field records in the 40-plus age group.
 
The IHGF would like to thank Mauricio Vivallo and Enrique Araya Gonzalez for their hard work in putting together this major international event and looking after all the athletes during their stay in Chile. The IHGF looks forward to returning to Chile in 2019 and working with Club Highland Games Chile to grow traditional Highland games and promote it with zeal.
 
The next event on the circuit will be the Las Vegas Highland Games, April 14–15, the third leg in the IHGF All-American Highland Games qualifying series.

                                                ###



You can also follow IronMind on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.                        



Want to talk grip, strongman, weightlifting . . . everything strength? Visit the IronMind Forum.