A few hours before 100 days until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Argentine sport already has more than 100 athletes with a place secured in 14 disciplines for the largest multidisciplinary sporting event in the world. In the last few hours, a place was confirmed in a discipline that had not had a presence at the Olympic event for more than three decades.
The man from Mar del Plata Damián Jajarabilla obtained the classification in archery after winning a bronze medal in the Pan American of the discipline that took place in Colombia. This achievement meant an enormous achievement for archery in Argentina, since 36 years had passed since the last time the sport had Olympic participation.
At 25 years old, and after participating in the Lima 2019 Pan American Games and last year’s games in Santiago, Chile, the goalkeeper benefited from a redistribution in continental places during the tournament. What happened? The Argentine climbed to the last place on the podium in the individual event and had missed the spot by an arrow, but as the Colombian team won the team competition, he freed up a spot.
The young goalkeeper had been one arrow away from achieving a direct ticket to Paris 2024 after losing in the semifinals against Nicholas D’Amour, representative of the Virgin Islands, 10-9 in the shoot-outs after tying 5-5. In the bronze medal match, Jajarabilla defeated Oscar Ticas, from El Salvador, 6-0.
In Seoul 1988, the Olympic edition that had as its standard bearer Gabriela Sabatini At only 18 years old and in which the tennis player won a silver medal – she joined the bronze medal of the volleyball team – Claudio Pafundi (75th) and Ángel Bello (81st) were the last actors in Argentine archery.
Jajarabilla’s classification was added to other places that Argentine sports secured for the Olympic Games that will begin on July 26 with the opening in the Sena River, despite the fact that the official competition will begin two days before, on Wednesday. 24. Lucas Guzmán will once again be the only representative of taekwondo as happened three years ago at the Tokyo Games.
The Pan American medalist achieved an epic classification in the pre-Olympic of the discipline that was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, after beating the Canadian Braven Park in the -58 kg semifinals in a dramatic definition. In the last seconds of the fight he was down, but a kick to the chest was key to reversing the result and getting his ticket to what will be his second Olympic Games after being one step away from the medals in 2021.
In addition to the Plaza de Guzmán, Sports shooting added its third participant thanks to Julián Gutiérrez. The native of Catamarca won the 10-meter air rifle event at the Americas Rifle and Pistol Championships held at the Tiro Federal in Buenos Aires and will have his Olympic debut.
For its part, fencing will have a representative: Pascual Di Tella (sable) He won his place through continental ranking and will also make his debut in the Olympic Games. We must also add the four rowing representatives who earned their place in the pre-Olympic that took place a few weeks ago in Rio de Janeiro: Sonia Baluzzo and Evelyn Silvestronext to Alejandro Colomino and Pedro Dickson will be the boats (light double) who will perform in Paris 2024.
Last weekend, The women’s handball team had its last chance to go to the Olympic Games, but it couldn’t be for La Garra. Despite showing a high level, in the tournament that was played in Spain they fell to the Netherlands (34-22), against the local team by a tight 26-23 and against the Czech Republic (41-33).
If we summarize, the light blue and white sport already has secure participation in: football, shooting sports, archery, fencing, taekwondo, rowing, sprint canoeing, swimming, modern pentathlon, tennis, horse riding, field hockey, handball, sailing, cycling and rugby sevens.
The Argentine qualifiers for Paris 2024
Before the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023, which allowed Argentina to add a dozen Olympic tickets, several athletes secured their place. One of the cases to highlight was that of the swimmer Macarena Ceballos. The Cordovan, originally from Río Cuarto, secured her first participation in the Olympic Games after achieving the A mark in the 100 meters breaststroke discipline at the Fukuoka World Cup, in Japan, last year.
Another outstanding athlete currently in Argentine sports is Agustín Vernice. The native of Olavarría earned the right to be in Paris 2024 (his second Games) after a distribution of quotas from the international federation after being a finalist in the World Speed Canoeing Championship. After his Pan American gold medal in the K1 1000, and his streak of three participations in world finals for which he achieved in Tokyo, the paddler will be an athlete to follow in the Argentine excursion in Paris.
In individual sport, Sailing is a sport that always adds Olympic places. This was the case of the duo that they make up Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco in the Nacra 17 class -the same one that in Rio 2016 saw Santiago Lange and Cecilia Carranza celebrating with gold in Guanabara Bay-, who qualified for the 2023 World Cup in The Hague. In addition to them, they have already earned their place Lucía Falasca (Laser), Catalina Turienzo (Formula Kite); Francisco Saubidet Birkner and Chiara Ferreti (Windsurf); and Francisco Guaragna (ILCA 7).
In the cases of sports shooting, such as the pentathlon, the three tickets were obtained in the Pan American Games in Santiago, in Chile. The first to achieve it was Fernanda Russo, who won the silver medal in the 10 meter air rifle event. This will be his third participation in the Senior Olympic Games, if we count his presence in the 2014 edition of the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing. The other place in the sport of weapons is in the hands of Federico Gil, who rose to third place on the Pan American podium in skeet. On the side of the discipline that combines fencing, swimming, laser run and horse riding (the test will be modified at the end of the year without the competition with horses), the one who got a ticket in the Chilean capital was Franco Serranomedalist in Buenos Aires 2018, thanks to his 5th place in the Pan American individual event.
In horse riding, José María Larocca He got the individual jumping spot in Santiago 2023 and Argentina added one more place by ranking of the international federation (FEI) for the complete event. For its part, the gold of Facundo Díaz Acosta and the silver of Lourdes Carlé At the Santiago 2023 tennis event he gave them the ticket to Paris. How should they ensure check-in? Simple: they must remain above position 400 in the professional circuit ranking. Cycling also has, for now, a place: it won Nicolas Tavani on the road in April of last year after being Pan American runner-up in the specialty.
Beyond individual places, which can still grow in sports such as athletics, BMX racing, BMX freestyle with the help of Maligno Torres (gold in the Pan American Games and last year won the table, scale, breaking, group sports have already added a good number of places.
At the Pan American Games, Las Leonas and Los Leones, both hockey teams, won the gold medal and the ticket to Paris. In this way, Argentine sports added 32 places (16 per team), something similar to what happened with the incredible victory of The Gladiatorsthe men’s handball team, which added 14 members after beating Brazil in a final that was played in Viña del Mar. Its captain and figure, Diego Simonetwill wait for them in France – he plays for Montpellier – to try to make a breakthrough in Olympic handball.
The Pumas 7, leaders of the current season on the world rugby sevens circuit, achieved Olympic qualification at the end of last season after finishing second in the World Rugby rankings behind New Zealand. With an amazing present from the leadership of his coach Santiago Gomez Coraadded to the figure of a player like Marcos Monetaconsidered the best sprinter in the world in the discipline, in addition to the value of Rodrigo Isgro -Chosen as the most outstanding player in 2023, the UAR team has everything to get excited about a new Olympic podium in a city that loves rugby.
The men’s football led by Javier Mascherano He will also be in Paris thanks to his qualification in the pre-Olympic tournament that was held in Venezuela after the agonizing victory against Brazil. Will there be several world champions in the capital of France to nourish a squad that will have 18 players? That is to be defined.
What will happen to the men’s volleyball team? As Conte and company’s team did not manage to get a ticket in one of the pre-Olympics that were played in the last quarter of last year, they will now have to ensure their classification by ranking. Currently, Argentina is in sixth place in the FIVB world rankings and is only ahead of Italy of the teams that are not yet in Paris 2024. To finish sealing the passage, it will play the initial phase of the Volleyball Nations Leaguewhere you must add points to avoid risk.
Beyond the men’s volleyball team (Las Panteras no longer have a chance), there are two women’s teams that can achieve a place, although it will be a complex task. In the case of rugby 7, The Yaguaretés They will seek to qualify for the first time in the women’s Olympic Repechage that will be held a month before the start of the Games (June 21 to 23) in Monaco. Only the champion will get a ticket to Paris 2024.
On the basketball side, 24 years after the last absence (Sydney 2000), Pablo Prigioni’s team will not be in the capital of Francesince he was left without even being able to play in the FIBA World Pre-Olympics after failing in the qualifying rounds.
