limeno. Tuesday, July 30, and the good news came from the Peruvian capital: in a historical event, unheard of, Chile managed to add three gold medals in a single day. Something really extraordinary and atypical, but with María Fernanda Valdés, Tomás González and cousins Grimalt, team Chile was beginning to get applause and praise for the awards. This day will hardly be erased from the national collective, because it was plagued by emotions and satisfactions.
Let’s start with the Grimalts, Marco and Esteban, who made their way of pan-American glory based on talent, effort, silence, and ability. They are protagonists of the world circuit of the Beach Volley and those scrolls brought them to the limeña arenas, they were hard and solid in every match. Unfortunately, winning gold does not give them an Olympic quota, but surely with the confidence and complicity shown, they should make it to Tokyo 2020.
Let’s move on to Tomás González, the global exponent who has prestige Chilean sport at the Olympic, Pan American and South American levels. His floor routine allowed him to hang the medal – the sixth on his résumé at Pan American Games – gold and passing, making it clear that he is one of the best in the history of the sport of rings in our country. After the intimate celebration, the gymnast reflected on his next challenge: Tokyo 2020 and declared to have all the expectations of being in his third Olympic Games, with the experience and maturity gained throughout his 17 years of brilliant career.
Maria Fernanda Valdés was epic and exciting. The Chilean fishery had an arduous fight against the main favorites, Dominican Crimery Santana and Ecuadorian Tamara Salazar. In his internal jurisdiction, Valdés knew that he could give a great surprise and so he did, since he achieved 259 kilos, a record that was not in the papers of this cochybana, which after his triumph in Lima 2019 prepares his marriage.
These three victories incentivized a country that is far from the usual triumphs in any sporting discipline. In fact, when she arrived in Chile, María Fernanda Valdés herself indicated that things could be achieved and that we had to stop lamenting, a very powerful message from a reference that in 2017 was the victim of bulling, but that was able to overcome that trance and move on. A life teaching that she constantly replicates, directing her to the children who are victims of this problem.
But these three gold medals have stories of a lot of family and individual effort. While the Chilean delegation will try to emulate the five golden medals obtained in Toronto 2015, where Abraham twins and tennis, with Alexa Guarachi, can be at the top of the podium, there is a reflection beyond the medallion: Are we a country that provides all conditions and structures for the development of our athletes? Do we have strategic plans for the growth of Olympic plans?
From the eyes of the athletes, who often raise their voices, we seem to be still very distant from other Latin American powers. No one will be able to ignore the fact that the State has tried and improved these plans and work routes in some instances, but looking at other realities that are embodied in Lima 2019, we continue to be far below the effort.
I write this column being 21:30 hours on Thursday 1 August, so there are real options for Chile to join more medals, but the table does not lie and the reality is evident. The top six places have sports powers that decades ago embraced the path of planned work and budget opening for the growth and competitiveness of its athletes: the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Argentina and Colombia. Strange situation of Cuba, who was once the one who dare to dispute palm by palm the first place to the Americans.
We must also make self-criticism those of us immersed in sports journalism. We have not been the close and open vehicle, to promote athletes and disciplines other than football or tennis. Our athletes have no visibility and save some exceptional history, little and nothing is known about them during 365 days of the year. The excuses that do not sell or generate ratings have led us to blindness in the face of many remarkable stories of effort and quiet work. I speak from my own mea culpa and I also think it is a valid claim of athletes.
I want to make a nod to the work of the CDO (Channel Olympic Committee) which eight years ago was born for the dissemination and promotion of Olympic sport. Just as the CDF (Football Channel) was created at the time for the development and growth of activity, the emergence of CDO has been a refreshing wind to learn and observe the work of athletes. The coverage it has had during these Pan Americans of Lima 2019 has been remarkable and well deserved a distinction.
I do not know if Chile will succeed in surpassing its ranking of gold medals, I do not know if it will generate a change in the sports policies of our country, but it did want to capture a vision that every four years generates emotion and expectations. Our athletes have managed to awaken a society that is often apathetic, they managed to make that Tuesday 30 a day of joys and festivities, that the children would stick to the TV to watch the rivets of the Grimalts, the jumps and pirouettes of González and that cry heartbreaking Maria Fernanda Valdés as she lifted the weight. They made it a different day and where the gold shone.
But what will happen from August 11 when the Pan American Games are over. We will have to search somewhere to know about ours, those athletes who suffer and laugh for Chile. All my respect to you.
The content poured into this opinion column is the sole responsibility of its author, and does not necessarily reflect the editorial line or position of El Mostrador.
