AP PHOTOS: Pan American Games feature diving runner, flying swimmer, joyful athletes in last week

The last week of the Pan American Games in Chile featured great moments by athletes who don’t often get the limelight in top international competitions.

Athletes from across the Americas ran, swam, jumped, shouted, cried, and laughed. They waved and hugged. They learned lessons and celebrated successes in front of hundreds of thousands of raucous fans in Santiago.

Canada’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot had one of the best moments of the games at the finish line of the 1,500-meter race. The 32-year-old dived across, beat his countryman Rob Heppenstall by two one-hundredths of a second, and cried in disbelief as he won the gold medal.

Brazil’s artistic swimming team was not as lucky and finished its competition in fourth place — and out of a medal on Friday. But the view of Celina Tiemi Rangel flying out of the water of Santiago’s aquatics center after being thrown by her teammates was worth its weight in gold.

The long hair of U.S. sprinter Alaysha Johnson swirling in the wind prior to the start of the women’s 4x100-meters relay final drew the attention of the tens of thousands of fans on the stands of the National Stadium.

This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made during the last week of competition at the Pan American Games.

Read more of AP’s coverage of The Pan American Games.

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