By Mauro Giovannini
Twitter: @MGGiova
Mail: [email protected]
(Article published in the printed edition)
More than 7,000 athletes from 15 countries that confirm the ODESUR will give life to the XII South American Games in Asunción, capital of Paraguay, starting today.
The appointment will last until next Sunday the 16th and will mean for many the beginning of an Olympic journey that could well deposit them in Paris 2024, after passing through the Pan American Games next year.
Among many, the Argentine Olympic Committee will send a massive delegation that will be present in all 34 sports except for 5v5 basketball.
There will be 592 national athletes and, among them, a handful of Bahians.
Just as we count on The new one. Regarding the incursion of BMX, in its Racing and Freestyle modalities, with Agustina Cavalli and Agustina Roth, respectively, archery will also travel from our city with high expectations.
“I think that after the long pandemic we all have great expectations for these ODESURs,” said Florencia Leithold, from Bahia, with vast experience in international competitions.
Being the only woman in the delegation with a recurve bow, she will not have a women’s team competition and will present herself individually and in the mixed tournament.
“I’m aiming for the individual, of course; but I hope that on both occasions we can reach the podium. My modality is Olympic and I was very close to achieving the classification last year, so I hope that the next one can be given to me”, he ventured .
Along with Flor will travel Iván Nikolajuk and Federico Salvetti.
The first is from General Conesa, although he lives in our city where, in addition to archery, he studies Industrial Engineering.
“I’m going to Asunción looking for first place in the individual contest and also medals in what is thrown by teams, both male and mixed,” Nikolajuk said.
Iván, who, like Leithold, participated in the World Cup in Medellín in July, lived a tragic day last Monday, June 6.
“I had a problem in the apartment where I live. There was a carbon monoxide leak from the heater, the whole apartment was filled with monoxide. I didn’t detect it and I spent the whole day like that. I ended up passing out, I was in a coma all night and the next day I woke up.
But the expectations were tragic, the doctors said that it was difficult for him to get out of that. Luckily I ended up recovering,” he recounted.
“It could have affected me because the body was without oxygen for many hours,” he explained. “I could have been paralyzed, I could still be in a coma today… or I could have died. It’s like that. It was a miracle to wake up the next day.”
Iván said that when he fainted he was on the phone with his girlfriend and as he stopped responding at one point, she went to the apartment.
“They had to break down the door to get in because she didn’t have keys and when they came in they found me passed out.
Two weeks later I was able to train again, a month later I went to the qualifier for Asunción and then I had the World Cup. You can’t believe it, but it was like that, “he summed up.
The “local” delegation is completed by Salvetti, who was born in Santa Rosa and will also represent the Círculo Bahiense de Arquería.
“The main idea is to capture all the training that I have been doing. Let’s hope that the results will come, I always go with high expectations, with a positive attitude and mentality because that helps a lot,” he said.
“For me it is a very important event in which we have the possibility of getting a podium. I am very focused on the ODESUR. Also, it is very good to be able to share with other athletes, see other disciplines. Living experiences, moments and supporting each other is very nice because in the end we are all from the same country”, completed the Pampas.
