Next December 19, at the Usina del Arte in Buenos Aires, the Olimpia Awards, the largest sports awards party in the country, will distinguish the best athletes of 2023, a year marked by the Pan American Games in Santiago (Chile).
Among the judo graduates is Agustín Gil, one of the strong bets of Argentine judo when it comes to promoting the growth and development of its promising athletes. Next to him will be other stronger cards from Argentine judo: the Fuegian Mariano Coto (-90), the Buenos Aires Brisa Gómez (-57) and the Santa Fe Agustina De Lucía (-63).
Gil’s nomination is quite a recognition, because the judoka from Córdoba could not participate in the Pan American Games due to an injury, a great frustration since he had obtained classification two years earlier in the Pan American Youth Games.
However, he was shortlisted for his previous performances, both in the top European competitions and the results obtained in the Pan American Opens.
In his first year of experience in big judo, the disciple of Jorge Lencina opened the year (January) with a bronze medal at the Belgian International Open. In the semi-finals he lost to the Frenchman Delvert, who later won the competition, and beat the Canadian Meladze for the medal.
He would later gain great experience by competing in the Paris Grand Slam (February), the Antalya Grand Slam (March), and qualified and participated in the World Championship that was held in Doha (Qatar) between May 7 and 13.
His results in these tournaments, despite not reaching the podium, meant a significant jump in the world ranking and in the qualifying ranking for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He was among the 60 best in the world.
The gold medal achieved at the Pan American Open in Guayaquil (July 1 and 2) changed his team’s outlook for the Pan American Games in Santiago, as he won the biggest prize in the tournament that grants the highest score on the tour and with rivals of magnitude.
In August he competed again at the high international level at the Zagreb Grand Prix, and in September he did so at the Pan American Championships in Calgary (Canada). When it seemed that everything was ready to seek the podium in Santiago, a major injury prevented him from asserting that right and he was left on the sidelines.
But despite having missed the highest continental event, and reviewing the season, his achievements were more than important. “It wasn’t a bad year,” Agustín told Talento Sports. To which we must add that, with the estimated return to the tatami in February, there will be few tournaments left to add to the Olympic Games, although mathematically he still has a chance.
“It wasn’t a bad year,” he said. Of course not, and they have seen the same thing at the Olimpia Awards to nominate him as one of the best judokas of the season. Although he was not in Santiago, he acquired valuable experience on the great European stages, which he will know how to capitalize on in the near future.
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2023-12-14 00:43:04
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