Peru will return to the SSL Gold Cup this November with the Paracas Warriors, led by one of the country’s most accomplished sailors, Stefano Peschiera.
The Peruvian team will begin its campaign in the Round of 16 from November 26–29, where it will currently line up alongside the Czech team. With a place in the next stage at stake, the Paracas Warriors will be looking to make the most of their second appearance in the competition.
Stefano Peschiera at the helm
Leading the team will be Stefano Peschiera, a sailor who has represented Peru at the highest level for more than a decade.
Peschiera made history as the first Peruvian male sailor to qualify for the Olympic Games, earning his place at Rio 2016. His international career began much earlier, however, when he joined his club’s Optimist team in 2003.
As a junior, he competed at three World Championships, five South American Championships, four North American Championships and a European Championship, collecting several podium finishes along the way.
After graduating from university in the United States, Peschiera was named College Sailor of the Year in 2018. He then turned his full attention to his Olympic campaign and qualified Peru for the Tokyo 2020 Games at the World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.
An Olympic medal for the history books
Peschiera’s greatest achievement came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he won the bronze medal in the men’s ILCA 7.
Racing in the waters off Marseille, the 29-year-old finished third in the Medal Race and secured a place on the Olympic podium. The result ended a 32-year wait for Peru, whose previous Olympic medal had come at Barcelona 1992, when Juan Giha won silver in shooting.
For sailing, the achievement was historic in its own right. Peschiera became the first Peruvian sailor to win an Olympic medal, giving Peru its first Olympic sailing medal in history. It was also Peru’s first Olympic podium finish in any sport since Giha’s silver in Barcelona.
The medal added another chapter to a career that had already taken Peschiera to three Olympic Games. It also followed his victory at the 2019 Laser Standard South American Championship, where he became the first Peruvian sailor to win the title, joining a list of champions that includes names such as Robert Scheidt and Diego Romero.
A career built on results
Peschiera has won six South American Championships and has represented Peru at two previous Olympic Games, in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, as well as at the 2015 and 2019 Pan American Games.
His record also includes gold and silver medals at the Bolivarian Games, eight Medal Race appearances and a gold medal at the final World Cup Sailing Series event held in Miami in 2020.
After the success in Paris, Peschiera continues to compete at the highest level, now taking on a different role as captain of the Paracas Warriors.
A second chance in the Gold Cup
Peru’s previous SSL Gold Cup campaign took place last year in Gran Canaria.
The team had little opportunity to show what it could do. A difficult start in the opening round resulted in a DNF, leaving the Paracas Warriors with very little room to recover in the remaining races. They eventually finished 37th.
This time, they return with that experience behind them and a place in the Round of 16 already secured. With Stefano Peschiera at the helm, the Paracas Warriors will have another opportunity to show what Peru can bring to the SSL Gold Cup.
Their campaign begins in Rio on November 26.
