Paraguay at the 2004 Summer Olympics
# Paraguay at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Paraguay competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's ninth appearance at the Olympics, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow because of its partial support to the United States boycott.

Comité Olímpico Paraguayo sent the nation's largest delegation to the Games since the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona due to the presence of the men's football team. A total of 23 athletes, 21 men and 2 women, competed only in athletics, football, rowing, and swimming. The Paraguayan team featured two notable female athletes: javelin thrower Leryn Franco, who aspired to be one of the most beautiful women to compete at the Olympics because of her professional career as a model and beauty contestant, and single sculls rower Rocio Rivarola, aged seventeen, who later became the nation's first ever female flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

Paraguay left Athens with its first Olympic silver medal from the men's football team, following its defeat against Argentina with a score of 0–1 in the final match of the tournament.

## Medalists

| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Silver | Paraguay national football team Fredy BarreiroDiego BarretoEdgar BarretoPedro BenitezJosé CardozoErnesto CristaldoJosé DevacaOsvaldo DiazJulio César EncisoCelso EsquivelDiego FigueredoCarlos GamarraPablo GiménezJulio GonzálezJulio ManzurEmilio MartinezRodrigo RomeroAureliano Torres | Football | Men's tournament | August 28 |

## Athletics

Paraguayan athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard).

### Key

* Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
* Q = Qualified for the next round
* q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
* NR = National record
* N/A = Round not applicable for the event
* Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

### Track & road events

| Athlete | Event | Heat | Heat | Quarterfinal | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Athlete | Event | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank |
| Diego Ferreira | 100 m | 10.50 NR | 5 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |

### Field events

| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Qualification | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Athlete | Event | Distance | Position | Distance | Position |
| Leryn Franco | Javelin throw | 50.37 | 42 | did not advance | did not advance |

## Football

### Men's tournament

Paraguay national football team faced a stiff test in order to qualify for the Athens Games, getting two goals in the last ten minutes to beat Chile, and edging Brazil to qualify out of South America, along with Argentina. On 4 August, before the Summer Olympics began, Paraguay measured against the Portugal of Cristiano Ronaldo in the city of Algarve, resulting in a 5–0 defeat.

**Roster**

The following is the Paraguayan squad in the men's football tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Head coach: Carlos Jara Saguier

| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | 2004 club |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1GK | Rodrigo Romero | (1982-11-08)8 November 1982 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Nacional Asunción |
| 2 | 2DF | Emilio Martinez | (1981-04-10)10 April 1981 (aged 23) | 8 | 0 | Libertad |
| 3 | 2DF | Julio Manzur | (1981-06-22)22 June 1981 (aged 23) | 8 | 0 | Guaraní |
| 4 | 2DF | Carlos Gamarra* | (1971-02-17)17 February 1971 (aged 33) | 11 | 5 | Inter Milan |
| 5 | 2DF | José Devaca | (1982-09-18)18 September 1982 (aged 21) | 8 | 1 | Cerro Porteño |
| 6 | 2DF | Celso Esquivel | (1981-03-20)20 March 1981 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | San Lorenzo |
| 7 | 4FW | Pablo Giménez | (1981-06-29)29 June 1981 (aged 23) | 8 | 1 | Guaraní |
| 8 | 3MF | Edgar Barreto | (1984-07-15)15 July 1984 (aged 20) | 8 | 0 | NEC Nijmegen |
| 9 | 4FW | Fredy Barreiro | (1982-03-27)27 March 1982 (aged 22) | 8 | 2 | Libertad |
| 10 | 3MF | Diego Figueredo | (1982-04-28)28 April 1982 (aged 22) | 8 | 2 | Real Valladolid |
| 11 | 2DF | Aureliano Torres | (1982-06-16)16 June 1982 (aged 22) | 8 | 1 | Guaraní |
| 12 | 2DF | Pedro Benitez | (1981-03-23)23 March 1981 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Cerro Porteño |
| 13 | 3MF | Julio César Enciso* | (1974-08-05)5 August 1974 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Olimpia Asunción |
| 14 | 4FW | Julio González | (1981-08-26)26 August 1981 (aged 22) | 8 | 2 | Nacional Asunción |
| 15 | 2DF | Ernesto Cristaldo | (1984-03-16)16 March 1984 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Cerro Porteño |
| 16 | 3MF | Osvaldo Diaz | (1981-12-22)22 December 1981 (aged 22) | 8 | 1 | Guaraní |
| 17 | 4FW | José Cardozo* | (1971-03-14)14 March 1971 (aged 33) | 6 | 2 | Toluca |
| 18 | 1GK | Diego Barreto | (1981-07-16)16 July 1981 (aged 23) | 8 | 0 | Cerro Porteño |

* Over-aged player.

**Group play**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Paraguay | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | Qualified for the quarterfinals |
| 2 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | Qualified for the quarterfinals |
| 3 | Ghana | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Japan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 3 | |

## Rowing

Paraguayan rowers qualified the following boats:

### Men

| Athlete | Event | Heats | Heats | Repechage | Repechage | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Daniel Sosa | Single sculls | 7:52.50 | 5 R | 7:21.03 | 4 SD/E | 7:36.87 | 4 FE | 7:13.49 | 26 |

### Women

| Athlete | Event | Heats | Heats | Repechage | Repechage | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Rocio Rivarola | Single sculls | 8:03.85 | 4 R | 7:57.77 | 4 SC/D | 8:05.92 | 5 FD | 7:57.36 | 21 |

Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; R=Repechage

## Swimming

### Men

| Athlete | Event | Heat | Heat | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Sergio Cabrera | 200 m butterfly | 2:06.15 | 35 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
