Team sports gave Argentina the three medals it achieved in the atypical Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, postponed a year by the coronavirus pandemic, in its lowest production since Barcelona 92: one silver from Las Leonas, and two bronze for rugby 7 and men’s volleyball.
The Argentine delegation, in addition to the three medals, added nine diplomas and had as highlights the retreats of great figures of the national sport, among them that of three Olympic champions: the judoka Paula Pareto, the basketball player Luis Scola and the player of Los Leones Pedro Ibarra.
The Pumas 7s obtained the first medal for Argentina in Tokyo 2020 after defeating Great Britain 17-12 in the duel for the bronze. The second medal of the Argentine delegation was the one that achieved the women’s hockey: The Lionesses hung the silver medal for the third time in history after Sydney 2000 and London 2012. The girls could not beat the Netherlands in the game for gold (it was 3-1), but they completed an excellent Olympics and accumulated their fifth Olympic medal.
Men’s volleyball took the podium in a spectacular close. As in Seoul 88, 33 years later, the Argentines beat the powerful Brazilians by 3 to 2 and they remained in history.
Diplomas and retreats
The Olympic diplomas went to Lucas Guzmán (5th place in taekwondo), the duo Sol Branz-Victoria Travascio (fifth in 49er FX), Facundo Olezza, (sixth in Finn), Paula Pareto (seventh in judo). the men’s basketball team (7th), the men’s hockey team (7th), Cecilia Carranza-Santiago Lange (7th in Nacra 17 years after winning gold in Rio and flagging in Tokyo) and Agustín Vernice (8th in rafting).
In addition to Pareto, who had been Olympic champion in Rio 2016, several historical athletes withdrew from the Argentine team: Scola, a member of the Golden Generation champion in Athens 2004; Ibarra, gold in Rio with Los Leones; Los Gladiadores handball players Gonzalo Carou and Sebastián Simonet; and a few months later Noel Barrionuevo, symbol of Las Leonas.
