title: 1997 South American Cross Country Championships
text: # 1997 South American Cross Country Championships
  
  The 1997 South American Cross Country Championships took place on February 22–23, 1997. The races were held at the Santa Lucía Golf Club in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina.
  
  Complete results, results for junior and youth competitions, and medal winners were published.
  
  ## Medallists
  
  | Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Individual |||||||
  | Senior men (12 km) | Elenilson da Silva Brazil | 38:01 | Herder Vásquez Colombia | 38:03 | Leonardo Vieira Guedes Brazil | 38:23 |
  | Junior (U20) men (8 km) | André Pereira da Silva Brazil | 6:52 | Jonatann Moraes Matos Brazil | 26:53 | Paulo Roberto de Almeida Paula Brazil | 26:53 |
  | Youth (U17) men (4 km) | Jeferson de Souza Sá Brazil | 13:22 | Leonardo Milani Argentina | 13:28 | Pedro Herrera Argentina | 13:33 |
  | Senior women (6 km) | Stella Castro Colombia | 21:18 | Érika Olivera Chile | 21:31 | Nadir Sabino de Siqueira Brazil | 21:56 |
  | Junior (U20) women (4 km) | Fabiana Cristine da Silva Brazil | 14:26 | Valquíria Silva Santos Brazil | 14:36 | Bertha Sánchez Colombia | 14:57 |
  | Youth (U17) women (3 km) | Fabiani da Silva Brazil | 11:38 | Natalia Domínguez Argentina | 11:58 | Miriam Valdez Argentina | 12:08 |
  | Team |||||||
  | Senior men | Brazil | 8 | Colombia | 13 | Argentina | 24 |
  | Junior (U20) men | Brazil | 6 | Argentina | 23 | Chile | 23 |
  | Youth (U17) men | Argentina | 6 | | | | |
  | Senior women | Brazil | 15 | Chile | 15 | Colombia | 17 |
  | Junior (U20) women | Chile | 32 | | | | |
  | Youth (U17) women | Argentina | 6 | | | | |
  
  ## Race results
  
  ### Senior men's race (12 km)
  
  * Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result. (n/s: nonscorer)
  
  ### Junior (U20) men's race (8 km)
  
  * Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result. (n/s: nonscorer)
  
  ### Youth (U17) men's race (4 km)
  
  * Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result. (n/s: nonscorer)
  
  ### Senior women's race (6 km)
  
  * Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result. (n/s: nonscorer)
  
  ### Junior (U20) women's race (4 km)
  
  * Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result. (n/s: nonscorer)
  
  ### Youth (U17) women's race (3 km)
  
  * Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result. (n/s: nonscorer)
  
  ## Medal table (unofficial)
  
  * Host nation (Argentina)
  
  | Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Brazil | 9 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
  | 2 | Argentina* | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
  | 3 | Colombia | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
  | 4 | Chile | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
  | Totals (4 entries) | Totals (4 entries) | 12 | 10 | 10 | 32 |
  
  * Note: Totals include both individual and team medals, with medals in the team competition counting as one medal.
  
  ## Participation
  
  According to an unofficial count, 82 athletes (+ 1 guest) from 6 countries (+ 1 guest country) participated.
  
  * Argentina (34)
  * Brazil (20)
  * Chile (12)
  * Colombia (11)
  * Paraguay (4)
  * Uruguay (1)
  
  Guest country:
  
  * United States (1)
  