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
MedalNameSportEventDate Football Men's tournament
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).
Men Track & road events AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankDiego Ferreira100 m10.50 NR5did not advance
Women Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionLeryn FrancoJavelin throw50.3742did 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
Group play
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Gold medal match
Won silver medal
Rowing
Paraguayan rowers qualified the following boats:
Men AthleteEventHeatsRepechageSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankDaniel SosaSingle sculls7:52.505 R7:21.034 SD/E7:36.874 FE7:13.4926
Women AthleteEventHeatsRepechageSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankRocio RivarolaSingle sculls8:03.854 R7:57.774 SC/D8:05.925 FD7:57.3621 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 AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankSergio Cabrera200 m butterfly2:06.1535did not advance
See also Paraguay at the 2003 Pan American Games
References
External links Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad Paraguay Olympic Committee