Iván Gramajo, a gymnastics figure (Chubut), talks about the challenge that awaits him this weekend, the virtues of the team, the uprooting and the company of his cousin Orresta
THE “TUCU” IS READY. On Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Gimnasia de Comodoro Rivadavia will play with Oberá at the Obras stadium, seeking to reach the Super 20 final. Gimnasia de Comodoro Rivadavia
“The adaptation was difficult, the cold in Chubut cost me, it was a very big change,” he confesses. Ivan Gramajo. The basketball player from Tucumán joined Gimnasia de Comodoro Rivadavia last July to participate in the elite of the National League. But although athletes get used to living with removals and trips, the one from Tafico was an abrupt change, considering that he had played three seasons in Quimsa de Santiago del Estero. More than 2,200 kilometers separate both cities, in addition to a climatic abyss. However, you can say that the adventure started well.
Gramajo was one of the figures of the Quimsa champion of the Super 20 of and the Super Cup of 2021 and of the Basketball Champions League Americas 2019-20. In fact, the shooting guard was the author of a memorable triple that gave Quimsa victory over Flamengo in the final. For this reason, with the intention of being the protagonist, he arrived in Chubut as the fifth reinforcement of a team that wanted to make the leap and so far is succeeding. Gymnastics qualified first for the Super 20, the home run that is played in the middle of the season and which is accessed by the best teams in the National League. “We didn’t expect to qualify, let alone in first place, it’s a new team with a lot of young players, but we know we have nothing to lose and we hope to hit it off,” says the player who also played for Lanús and Ferro, after standing out in Tafí Viejo Workshops.
In its second consecutive year in the Super 20, Gimnasia will face Oberá on Saturday at 7:00 p.m., and if they advance, they will face the winner of Instituto and Obras Basket, the home owner. The three matches, including the final scheduled for Sunday at 8:30 p.m., will be played at the “Temple of Rock.”
After the three titles won with Quimsa, Gramajo is going for more and his goal is to lead the Patagonian team to obtain a crown this season. He is the third goalscorer for the team led by Martin Villagran with 12.2 points per game, and the most effective weapon for shooting from the perimeter. His partner in the guard is another Tucuman, sebastian orresta.
“He’s like a brother to me, when we were kids we started playing in Talleres and we spent a lot of time together. Except in Quimsa, I was always lucky to share a squad with Sebastián. We played a little in Lanús and Ferro”, affirms the man from Tafico, happy for the chance to share a squad with Orresta in Gymnastics: “when I was in Quimsa I spoke with him about the possibility of us sharing a team again and luckily it happened”. In addition, he mentioned the importance that his cousin had in making him feel comfortable in Chubut: “thanks to him the adaptation was easier, he showed me the city and the first days we spent a lot of time together.”
When analyzing the reasons that allowed Gimnasia to qualify for the Super 20 with a record of 15-4, after the first 19 games, Gramajo lists the virtues: “Martín Villagrán has been in charge of the team for seven years developing a game idea that it gives us results. We have the initiative to always look for the best launch option, be aggressive defensively and form a solid block of team”.
After a first half of the season as the best team in the country, Gimnasia lost three straight games and returned to victory on Saturday against Independiente de Oliva by 84-70 (“Tucu” finished with 13 points).
Living away from family is an obstacle that the number 5 in Gymnastics had to overcome since his adolescence, since at the age of 18 he left his parents’ house to play in Lanús. Now distance is still an inconvenience when it comes to love. “I miss my partner who lives in Tucumán a lot, sometimes it becomes very difficult. Before, when I played in Santiago del Estero, I took advantage of my days off to visit her, but now it’s more difficult”, admits the player, who dedicates his free time to learning English, thinking of a possible future in which uprooting will take him even further. away from his land. In that sense, the big leagues in the northern hemisphere are a dream, although for now he follows them on television. “Every time I can I watch NBA, but the truth is that I don’t feel identified with any player, although the one that amuses me the most is Stephen Curry”, he reveals. (Journalistic production: Joaquin Espeche)
