says goodbye in the water to an Olympic race of excellence

Winner of one gold and two bronzes at the Games, at the age of 61 he says goodbye because he can no longer qualify for Paris 2024. This Wednesday will be his last competition.

When in the previous Paris 2024 Olympic Games the classic review of the great stars who will not be there is made, Santiago Lange It will be an infallible name. Of course, the Argentine sports legend will not only not compete next year in the French capital, but this Wednesday he will compete in his last regattas of an Olympic cycle. And will say goodbye in the water, as it should be for a man who had the sea as company in his life. Like his second home.

“The road to Paris came to an end. The dream of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics is over. @mateomajdalani and @eugebosco were superior and we Argentines will have a great team to represent us. I sincerely wish you to fulfill your Olympic dream. It is their turn to carry the flag.”Lange wrote on his Instagram account.

In those words, the sailor synthesized all the information. For those who closely follow Argentine sport, it is nothing new and could be seen coming. In fact, Clarion had recounted in May that Lange and his partner Victoria Travascio they were not going to be in the Panamerican Games precisely because Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco won that place in the duel between the two Nacra 17 class boats. And now the same thing will happen, because the youngest couple has achieved better results in the tournaments that function as selective for the national team.

So much so that Majdalani and Bosco, precisely in the last three regattas this Tuesday at the Yachting World Championship in The Hague, the Netherlands, will go in search of the final Medal Race and are already too close to being Olympians in Paris 2024.

“Tomorrow (on Wednesday) I have to run the last three World Cup regattas and it will be my farewell to the Olympic circuit. I know that I am privileged to continue sailing at the highest level for so long, so I plan to enjoy every wave, every tack, every ride of that last day. I want to enjoy with Vicky Travascio, a great friend who left me this cycle “Lange recounted in his post.

“I want to be very aware of that happiness that I continue to feel in the water and competing. I intend to be very present in every minute that I have left, to leave that feeling of fullness burned into my memory”, he claimed. And he closed: “Paris was the dream we had with Vicky, but it didn’t happen and I’m sad about that. But I am also happy for the road traveled, for the enormous joys that sport has given me and that is what I want to focus on tomorrow when I say goodbye to my Olympic passion. It will be a see you later and also a thank you to everyone who accompanied me on this beautiful journey that will continue with new challenges. Good winds!”.

Lange, 61, participated in seven olympics: Seoul 1988 (Soling class), Atlanta 1996 (Laser), Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 (Tornado), Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 (Nacra 17). He was a bronze medalist in 2004 and 2008 along with Carlos Espínola. And in Rio he won gold with Cecilia Carranza Saroli.

This Wednesday he will say goodbye on top of a boat, after the last three regattas in a World Cup. Grateful for life. Like a legend.

2023-08-16 00:46:21
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