Agostina Hein closed a historic performance at the South American Youth Games Panama 2026 and became the athlete with the most gold medals in the history of the competition.
The Argentinian swimmer won nine golds (and one silver), surpassing the record held by Brazilian Stephanie Balduccini.The 17-year-old reached the mark on the last day, after winning the 200-meter butterfly, where she also recorded a new championship record, and in the 400-meter freestyle, crowning a perfect week at the Panamanian Aquatic Center.
Their dominance was total from the start of the competition. Hein opened his participation with two golds and South American records in the 800 meters freestyle and 200 medley. Then he won in 100 and 200 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 200 combined again and also in the women's 4x100 freestyle and 4x100 medley posts. His tenth medal came with silver in the mixed 4x100 medley medal, where Argentina
finished behind Brazil.In addition to the impressive harvest, the swimmer accumulated multiple tournament records, two South American records and a new absolute Argentine record, once again consolidating herself as one of the greatest youth figures in swimming today.
“The truth is that I am very happy, I am happy. They were dream games. I can't ask for a better balance,” he said after the competition. And he highlighted one of his most special events: “Of all the races, the one that surprised me the most was the 800 freestyle, for me having surpassed the record of the Brazilian (María Fernanda Costa) who had achieved it recently I couldn't believe it. I think I swam very calm and everything went smoothly in that test
.”
Regarding the historic record, Hein also valued the personal meaning: "She is special because she also surpassed the mark of Stephanie Balduccini, who had eight in a tournament like this, for me it means a lot because I admire her: she is a consolidated swimmer as I
aspire to be both personally and in sports.”With this performance, Argentina confirmed that it is already a reality of international sports. After his participation in Paris 2024 and his outstanding performances in the Junior World Championship and the Junior Pan American Games in 2025, he is now aiming for his next big goal: the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles
.“I'm going to look for qualification in the first tournament to be calm. The brands are there. And it's really nice to think about the future,” he said. And he closed with a reflection on his present: “I have to keep growing, consolidating the process. Today I'm swimming a lot of tests and it's not easy to hold it, but I have to enjoy it, give it my all and that's how
the brands come.”
With his 10 medals, Hein was the great figure in swimming and led an outstanding performance in Argentina, which closed his participation with 35 medals in the discipline (14 Gold, 15 Silver and 6 Bronze
).All Hein medals in Panama 2026
Gold
