Cristián Escalante (born September 11, 1976 in Santiago

Santiago

Santiago is the capital city of Chile. Santiago may also refer to:*Santiago *Santiago , a Spanish given name*Santiago!, a shortened form of the Reconquista battle cry "Santiago y cierra, España"...

) is a Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an a weightlifter competing in the +105 kg category. Escalante has competed in three Pan American Games

Pan American Games

The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...

 starting in 1999. Escalante in 1996

Weightlifting at the 1996 Summer Olympics

The weightlifting competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta consisted of ten weight classes, for men only. The range of each weight class was adjusted by 1–4 kg for these Games, marking the first redefinition of Olympic weightlifting weight classes since they were introduced in...

 became the first weightlifter to qualify for the Olympics from Chile.

After placing forth at the 1999 and winning the silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games, Escalante finally won a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janiero. In this process he broke the Pan American Games record in the overall competition by lifting a total of 401 kg.

In September 2011, Escalante was named the flag bearer

2011 Pan American Games national flag bearers

During the Parade of Nations at the 2011 Pan American Games opening ceremony, held beginning at 18:00 CDT on February 14, 2011, 42 athletes bearing the flags of their respective nations led their national delegations as they paraded into Omnilife Stadium in the host city of Guadalajara, Jalisco,...

 for the Chilean team

Chile at the 2011 Pan American Games

Chile competed at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico from October 14 to 30, 2011.-Medalists:|align="left" valign="top"|- Archery:Chile has qualified two male and three female archers.MenWomen- Athletics:...

 at the 2011 Pan American Games

2011 Pan American Games

The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, Puerto Vallarta, Lagos de Moreno and Tapalpa...

 in Guadalajara

Guadalajara

Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. Escalante was scheduled to compete in his forth Pan American Games, however he did not carry the flag or compete after testing positive for steroids.