Women’s sport is constantly growing, and rugby is no exception. In 2021 the rugby 7s team decided to call itself “The Jaguars”. As Las Leonas did at the time, the players consolidated their identity.
The Olympic cycle began last year in October at the South American Games in Asunción 2022, in which the national team came in fourth place. Thus, he lost the possibility of being in the Pan American Games in Santiago to be held in October, but he still has the chance to reach the maximum multi-sport event: paris 2024.
On June 17 and 18, the national team will seek to win the Olympic repechage which will also be played by Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Peru and Costa Rica at the Charrúa Stadium in Montevideo. For this, the team in charge of the head coach, Nahuel Garciamade a concentration in Casa Pumas in which he named the new captain, Paula Pedrozoand activities were carried out to achieve the integration of the team.
Libero-Page/12 He spoke to both of them during a training session open to the press to learn about their expectations for the big goal in the coming weeks. “We didn’t have much opportunity to compete in these last few months so we are generating competition between us. The specific expectation is to improve our game. Having this chance to play an Olympic Game excites us all. All the teams in South America want that place, there are teams that play very good rugby and others that have had greater experiences, such as Brazil. In theory, it puts them in a better condition, but the reality is that the opportunity is for everyone and we want to take advantage of it,” said the coach from Salta.
Argentina never participated in women’s rugby 7 in the Olympic Games. Discipline became part of the program at Rio 2016. With Brazil classified as host, the national team had a great chance to be in the first games in which sport was included, but Colombia achieved the place in a South American organized in Santa Fe in 2015. The team qualified for Tokyo 2020 Brazilian and although it is the top candidate, Argentina bets on a new work team to achieve the objective and promote the development of the sport.
“We formed this staff at the end of last year with some people from the previous one. We appointed the new captain for this stage and that gives us more confidence. We are working very well and we are with good monitoring of the training that each one has in their province. The concentrations that we have once a month are very good for assembling team issues that when each one is in her province she only works on individual aspects, “concluded García.
The new captain is Paula Pedrozo, born in Concordia and raised in El Dorado, Misiones, she had left the team to dedicate herself to personal projects after graduating as a kinesiologist, but she decided to return: “The change was very difficult when I left because I was no longer a elite rugby player but was just another person. Now I made the decision to return because there were some changes in the system and it gave me great hope that Nahuel would return. We are very close friends with Sofía González and I also talked about it with her, so I made her decision and here I am giving my 100 percent.
Pedrozo also referred to the brand new captaincy: “It took me by surprise, it was a tremendous pride, I clearly said yes, I didn’t even think about it. It is quite a challenge to be a leader of leaders, a responsibility, a challenge. I think it will work because the girls already know me, and I know them too, there is a very good vibe and predisposition on their part”. García and Pedrozo agreed that the main thing is the integration of the team and that is why they did tasks off the field that can then be moved inside.
Regarding the evolution of the sport, the captain added: “There is still a long way to go and we are like that first wave that will lead to a change so that new generations can enjoy it in a different way.”.
From June 11 to 15 they will have the last concentration in Buenos Aires to finish preparing for the dream of playing the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The 12 players who will go for the big goal are: Aguilar Mayra, Brígido Chamorro María Virginia, González Sofía, Mattus Gimena, Medina Azul, Moreno Andrea, Pallero Micaela, Pedrozo Paula, Reding Antonella, Rodich Talía, Taladrid María and Trigo Brisa.