By Samantha Peene
Two days before competition at Senior Pan American Championships in Medellín, Colombia, Cayman gymnast Igor Magalhaes and coach Kyle Perry experienced the effects of a 6.6 magnitude earthquake from their hotel rooms.
At around 10pm on Wednesday night, 24 May, after completing a six-hour training session, Magalhaes and Perry felt shaking, and headed for the staircase of the TRYP hotel in which they are staying.
“I felt a steady swaying for 20-30 seconds,” said Perry. “It was definitely frightening and I felt my heart rate skyrocket.”
Magalhaes and Perry were on the 11th and 12th floor, respectively. Both had been getting ready for bed when the tremors began.
The magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck in the Gulf of Darien near the border of Panama and Colombia, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake, which occurred at a depth of 6.2 miles, was felt in both countries.
The USGS reported that nine minutes later, a 4.9 magnitude aftershock at the same location.
The epicentre was over 200 miles from the location of the Magalhaes’s and Perry’s hotel.
They said once the earthquake was obvious, crowds began quickly moving down the hotel staircase and gathering on the street outside.
When on Wednesday night after the tremors passed if this event would affect their confidence for competition, both responded that their confidence will be OK, but they couldn’t say the same about their sleep for the night.
- Journalist Samantha Peene is in Medellín with the gymnasts for Senior Pan American Championships.
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