THESE ARE THE INFLUENCER ATHLETES WHO SET THE TREND AT ASU 2025 AND ARE NOW NOMINATED FOR THE PANAM SPORTS AWARDS

Share

Valeria Páez from Mexico, Morgan Garside from Canada, and Morena Abdala from Argentina are competing for the Influencer Athlete Award at the 2025 Panam Sports Junior Awards. Here we show you who they are and their personal accounts that made them famous at the 2025 ASU Junior Pan American Games.

Social media is playing a fundamental role in communicating events in the Olympic cycle. Athletes have become true influencers and journalists, helping to promote the Games, their teammates, the competitions, and the experiences they have every day when representing their country.

At ASU2025, three athletes stood out from the rest, posting entertaining stories and posts about their experiences at the II Junior Pan American Games on their accounts. From showing off the uniforms given to them by their countries to the food they were served at the Olympic Park in Asunción to the competition itself, these were some of their posts.

Their popularity reached such a point that many of them received visits from young Paraguayan fans who, after seeing their posts, wanted to meet them in person, which also served to make them go viral on social media.

Below, we show you who they are with their respective accounts so you can learn more about these “Influencer Athletes.”

Valeria Páez (Mexico)

The Mexican heptathlete, who placed 5th in the Pan American Games, shared her ASU 2025 experience on her social media, achieving great interaction with her more than 330,000 followers. Her competition, the effort behind her achievements, and even the presentation of all of Mexico’s uniforms were some of her posts that even reached millions of likes.

Instagram: @valeria_paez_ (Click here to see her account)

TikTok: @valeria_paez_ (Click here to see her account)

Morgan Garside (Hockey Canada)

The Team Canada Hockey goalkeeper became a true influencer at the ASU2025 Games. His posts on TikTok and Instagram went viral across the continent, but especially in Paraguay. Dozens of fans traveled from the outskirts of Asunción to watch Canada’s games, just to see Morgan. Thousands of likes on his posts and hundreds of photos with the audience that came to watch his games marked his stay in Asunción.

Instagram: @morgan_garside (Click here to see his account)

TikTok: @morgan_garside (Click here to see his account)

Morena Abdala (Volleyball-Argentina)

The talented Argentine beach volleyball player is all the rage not only in Argentina, but also beyond its borders. During ASU2025, she posted dances, experiences, and anecdotes from her room at the team hotel, at the sports venues, and also playing the sport she is so passionate about. Thousands of visits and interactions made her very popular on Games Time.

Instagram: @morenaabdalaa (Click here to see her account)

TikTok: @morenaabdala (Click here to see her account)