The promises of Argentine sports that shone in 2023 and are diamonds in the rough

2023 was a year of enormous results for Argentine youth players. With world titles and medals, unprecedented achievements and outstanding performances in important international competitions of individual and team sports, the young Albiceleste athletes lived a season of joy and much growth, which excited about the future.

If we talk about World Cups, the light blue and white flag was raised on the podium several times. In Antalya, Türkiye, he reached the top thanks to Mia Mainardiwho won a historic gold in jumping in the artistic gymnastics world championship of the category.

The 15-year-old from Buenos Aires, who was 14 when she was crowned at the beginning of April, emerged in River and trained by Mariano Poconiplaced third in the classification of that apparatus and in the final she performed two almost perfect jumps.

The first, with one and a half pirouettes, was the best in the final stage and allowed him to add 13,666 points. The second, with half a pirouette less but executed with precision and confidence, received 13,133. And the average of 13.383 placed her ahead of the Italian July Maranosilver with 13,266, and the French Ming van Eijkenbronze with 13,000.

Mia’s was the first Argentine medal in the Junior World Championships of this sport, which were held in Turkey in only their second edition. Mainardi was sixth on uneven bars, 12th on the all around and, together with Isabella Aja (15) y Emilia Acosta (14) achieved a creditable fifth place in the team event.

“I barely finished jumping, I thought I was winning a medal, but not the gold medal. And I still don’t think I’m falling,” he told Clarín hours after listening to the national anthem on the podium. “Having achieved that fifth place in teams is a huge emotion, because it has never happened in a World Cup to be among the top five in the world in that event,” he added.

In jumping, but over water, another goldfish was celebrated. The one she got Tobias Giorgis in it Under 21 World Cup of water skiing which was held in June in Jalisco, Mexico. The 21-year-old from Rosario was crowned in that test, one of his specialties, with a mark of 59.6 meters. The Italian was escorted to the podium Florian Parth (57.4) and the American Edward Roberts (56).

“Since I was a child my biggest dream was to be a world champion and today I can say that that dream came true,” he wrote on his Instagram account. Instagram who was also fourth in the overall12th in figures and 14th in slalom.

It was the last World Cup in that category for the Santa Fe native, multiple South American and Pan American medalist, who had been left wanting to shout champion in the previous edition, in Florida 2021, in which he was fourth.

Candela Francisco Guecamburu made history sitting in front of a board chessby becoming world youth champion in the Under 20 tournament of that sport that took place in Mexico at the end of September and beginning of October.

The 17-year-old from Pilar, three years younger than the age limit of the competition, which makes her victory even more extraordinary, finished undefeated with 8.5 points in 11 rounds and became the first Argentine woman to win a world junior title. Among the men, they had achieved the legendary Oscar Cloth in 1953, in Copenhagen; Carlos Bielicki in 1959, in Münchenstein; and Pablo Zarnicki in 1992, in Buenos Aires.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of. I achieved my great desire and now that I’ve won all the women’s titles, my expectations are to win the absolute titles of international master and grandmaster,” commented the person who had won the American crown in May without being satisfied. , In the Habana.

“Chess helps me in life situations, because if on the board you have to think and always be attentive, in life it is the same, because you cannot be distracted. But I have fun playing,” he had told Clarín after that celebration in the continental tournament.

Candela is one of the prodigies of a new breed of young chess players who never cease to surprise. In that group there is also Faustino Oro, who had an extraordinary 2023. A precocious genius in this sport, he began playing during the confinement of the pandemic, he was number 1 in world chess in the Under 8 category and the youngest person in history to first surpass 2,200 and then 2,300 ELO points (today holds 2,357).

This year he achieved an unprecedented achievement. It was not a world title, but he has an equally great weight: in April he became the master FIDE youngest in history, at 9 and a half years old. A few months later, she got her first international master standard; He is two away from the title. He is not only the best Sub 10, but the best Sub 11 in the world. And he debuted in his first absolute World Cups of rapid and blitz games, in Uzbekistan.

Faustino has so much potential that his parents Alejandro y Romina They made a huge bet to give him the opportunity to face the best on the planet and continue growing and progressing. The Oros quit their jobs as accountants and the trio moved to Spain a few weeks ago. “We told ourselves that if we don’t give opportunities to Faustwas born into the wrong family,” Alejandro told Clarion.

The light blue and white flamed twice in the Junior Swimming World Cup of Netanya, Israel, in which Ulysses Saravia y Augustine Hein They got two bronzes.

The man from Mar del Plata, then 17 years old (he turned 18 at the end of October), finished third in the 50-meter backstroke and established a new absolute Argentine record in that test. With the 24s95 that he recorded in the semifinals he improved the 25s16 that he had established Federico Grabich in August 2012. And he became the first Argentine to win a medal in the men’s category at a World Cup in that category.

In that tournament, he also established a new absolute national record in the semis of the 100 backstroke with 53.95, an A mark for the Doha World Cup which will be done in February and mark B for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He dreams big, but he knows he has to go little by little. “I want to be an Olympic champion one day, but you have to be patient,” he warned a few months ago in Clarion.

Hein He had achieved the first bronze for Argentina in that competition. Born in Campana 15 years ago, she took third place in the 800 meters freestyle with 8m33s90, mark A for the Doha event, and she followed in the footsteps of Delfina Pignatiellowho had won gold in the 800 and 1,500 and silver in the 400 freestyle in Indianapolis 2017 and was, until this year, the only national swimmer to win a medal in a junior World Cup.

“I am very proud and very happy for the results I achieved in 2023. I can’t believe everything I accomplished. I think I still don’t take much dimension of what I’m achieving,” he said in a conversation with this medium during the Panamerican Games. “I work a lot with my coach Sebastián Montero to understand that I am a girl and I have a lot of career left to do,” she added. “We are going step by step, training by training and competition by competition.”

He field hockey He also carried the national flag to a podium at the close of the year. The Little Lions They took the silver medal in the Junior World Cup in Santiago de Chile by falling 4 to 1 on penalties (after equaling 2-2 in regulation time) against Netherlands.

It was the seventh world medal and the fourth silver for the Under 21 team, which was champion in 1993, in Terrassa (Spain) and in 2016, also in the Chilean capital. He had finished second in 2001, 2009 and 2013. And he also added a third place in 1997. And although his third crown escaped him, the team celebrated a nice individual award: Mercedes Artola She was chosen as the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

There were other Albiceleste teams who, although they did not reach the podium, achieved good results in important tournaments.

He Under 21 volleyball finished fourth in the Bahrain Men’s World Cup after losing 3 to 0 against Bulgaria in the duel for third place. The team led by Sebastian Fernandez He closed the first stage undefeated, with three victories and leader of his group. In the second, after losing to Italy and beating Belgiumdefeated 3 to 0 Brazilin a head-to-head for a place in the semis, in which he later lost with Iran. His defeat against the Bulgarians did not allow him to win the fourth medal in his history. He still said goodbye with a good balance and among the five best for the third consecutive edition.

Also fourth was the Under 17 men’s soccer in Indonesia. The selected one Diego Placente surpassed the group stage with two wins and one loss against Senegal in the debut. They beat 5-0 Venezuela in the second round and 3-0 to Brazil in the quarterfinals and could not advance to the final after falling 4-2 on penalties against Germany, after 3-3 in the 90 minutes. He said goodbye with a 3-0 loss against Maliwhich stole the bronze from him and did not let him end a 20-year drought without World Cup medals in this category.

A lower step was the one occupied by the Under 19 men’s basketball in it Hungary World Cup. After advancing to the playoffs, they won 87-85 against Brazil in the round of 16 and lost 85-47 in the quarterfinals with Spain. And in the fight for fifth place, which he finally occupied, he beat 106-101 Canada and closed with a solid 87-71 against Serbia, a sports powerhouse. Those led by Mauro Polla They achieved the best result in a tournament of the category in 12 years, after fourth place at Latvia 2011.

And the Under 17 futsal male conquered for the first time in history the America Cup, the highest achievement that can be aspired to in that sport, which has not yet competed in ecumenical competitions. He did it with an exciting comeback against Brazil. After being 0-1 seven minutes into the first half in the final of the competition that was held in Paraguay, they reacted and won 2 to 1. Thus they took revenge on their classic rival, who had beaten them in the two previous definitions. Santiago BasileArgentine coach, celebrated: “These kids have a different heart. Beyond a job, there are values ​​here. The groups win tournaments and they deserve it well.”

Titles, medals, historic achievements and good performances, the Argentine juniors closed a huge 2023.

Los Santiago 2023 Pan American Games They were the scene of great performances by young Argentine athletes.

Giorgis and Saravia are two of those who reached a podium. The skier won silver in overall and bronze in jumping, while the swimmer earned a silver in the 100 backstroke.

Valentina Raposo, Juana Castellaro y Sofia Cairothree Leoncitas who were world runners-up, were part of the team of The lioness who won gold and qualified for Paris 2024.

Others who stood out in the Chilean capital were Catalina Turienzo17 years old, who won silver in the Kite Formula of the yachting and achieved Olympic qualification; Giulia Sendra19, bronze in the 49 kilos taekwondo; Santino Basaldellaof the same age, who won a medal of that same metal in the SUP Race of surf. Y Thomas Mondino18, who joined the 4×100 post of the athletics who achieved a historic third place.