| Athletics at the I Southern Cross Games | |
|---|---|
 Hernando Siles Stadium, the national stadium of Bolivia located in the Miraflores borough of La Paz | |
| Dates | November |
| Host city | La Paz, Bolivia  |
| Venue | Estadio Olímpico Hernando Siles |
| Level | Senior |
| Events | 35 (22 men, 13 women) |
| Participation | 7 nations |
Athletics events at the 1978 Southern Cross Games were held at the Estadio Olímpico Hernando Siles in La Paz, Bolivia in November.[1] The stadium was one of the first in South America equipped with a synthetic track. A total of 35 events were contested, 22 by men and 13 by women.
Best performances were by Luis Schneider from Chile winning four gold medals (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay),[2] by native Johnny Pérez from Bolivia winning three gold medals (1500 m, 5000 m, and 3000 m steeplechase), by Ivonne Neddermann from Argentina winning two gold (long jump, 4×100 m relay), two silver (100 m hurdles, pentathlon) and one bronze medal (shot put), and finally by Nancy Vallecilla from Ecuador winning two gold (100 m hurdles, pentathlon), one silver (400 m), and one bronze medal (long jump). She was awarded the unofficial title of "Queen of the Games" (Spanish: Reina de los Juegos).[3]
- ^ LA PAZ 78, BOLÍVIA, I JUEGOS SUDAMERICANOS, Fecha de apertura: 3 de noviembre de 1978, Fecha de clausura: 12 de noviembre de 1978 (in Spanish), ODESUR, archived from the original on 2014-03-15, retrieved June 2, 2012
- ^ Guzmán M., María Elena, Chile en los Juegos Suramericanos (Odesur) (PDF) (in Spanish), Associatión Deportistas Olímpicos, retrieved June 8, 2012[permanent dead link]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cadawas invoked but never defined (see the help page).