Being part of a group for the first time Olympic Games It is always a very special moment for an athlete. Entering a Village for the first time, being dazzled by the magnitude of each stage and getting excited and suffering through each competition with the jersey on. Although all these sensations are surely enhanced if they are shared from within with someone very close. That is what the brothers are experiencing in Paris 2024 Thaddeus y Valentina Marcucciplayers from the national field hockey teams, who have already made it to the quarter-finals and are still in the race for medals.
“We never dreamed of this. It’s something unique to be in the Olympic Games. It’s the dream of every athlete because this is the ultimate competition in every sport. I’m happy. And this has a special, unique ingredient, which is being able to share it with her. Beyond the whirlwind of the tournament, being here, both of us on the same page, is unthinkable,” Tadeo tells Clarion during a talk in the International Zone of the Olympic Village.
The Marcuccis are one of three pairs of brother athletes in the sky blue and white delegation in the French capital. -quite a bit less than the six pairs and threes that were in Tokyo 2020-, along with Federico and Ignacio Pizarro y Diego and Pablo Simonetall members of the Handball Gladiators.
“When the date for the lists to be announced approached, we were excited. As if to say, ‘Let’s see if we both go into the Villa.’ Maybe we didn’t think about it or talk about it that much, because we knew it was complicated. The lists are very short. But when it happened, it was a huge joy, especially for my family,” says Tadeo, 23.
She added: “First they gave us the list to the men, on a Friday, after returning from the Pro League in Belgium. And they gave it to the women a week later, so it was a week with a bit of intrigue, because I knew she was coming, and we were saying, please let Valen come too. When we found out it was crazy.”
Valentina, who is 26, admits: “I never really imagined it. I always knew that Tadeo would have the opportunity to come to the Olympics at some point, but being able to do it together was not something I thought could happen. It’s a dream, honestly.”
Valentina and Tadeo were educated in LomasShe started playing alongside Tomás, the older brother. He wasn’t really interested in hockey at first (any sport, really), but he eventually got hooked. And each of them made their way at their own pace in the national teams, because those three years of difference meant that they never coincided in a category. Until they reached the senior teams.
Today, both have a lot of experience – and several podium finishes – wearing the light blue and white jersey. Valentina was runner-up in the world championship in the tournament held in Spain and the Netherlands in 2022 and won silver at the Odesur in Asunción that same year.
Tadeo and Valentina Marcucci, a Lion and a Lioness who dream of going far in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photos: Instagram
Tadeo was part of the national team that won bronze at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games -“It was a unique experience, which shaped and prepared me for this moment that I am living,” he recalls – and he was also junior world champion in India 2021 and gold medalist at the South American event in the Paraguayan capital two years ago and at the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023.
In Paris, it isHe is part of the official group of 18 Lions and was a starter in all five group stage matches.. She came to the Games as a reserve playerin case one of her teammates gets injured, although she is staying in the Village with the entire delegation, unlike what happened, for example, in Tokyo. So, although each one is experiencing the Olympic event from a different place, they are very close and both share the same spaces.
With the hustle and bustle of training and competitions, however, they still did not have enough free time to sit together and enjoy this unique experience.
“We didn’t get the chance to meet up because everyone has their own schedules, but I’m sure there will be time. We usually chat after the games to see how everyone got on and if we bump into each other in the village, we also stay and chat for a while, but nothing more,” says Valentina.
“We haven’t had a full day off yet, so it’s a bit complicated. But today we’ve already talked about having some mates, so we’ll go over here to do it at any time,” Tadeo recalls. “We’re pretty simple, I think that with some mates in the rings or here watching the channel we’ll be happy. We always do that when we’re at home. We’re family-oriented, we get together to have mates and talk about everything, not necessarily hockey.”
On the floor. Tadeo Marcucci, in the duel against Belgium. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
It may be a bit difficult for them to find the time to do so, because the playoffs of both tournaments are coming up and the two teams will play on alternate days, if they make it through the stages.
The Lionswho finished fourth in Group B, will face Germany, first in Group A, this Sunday at 8pm (3pm in Argentina). They will seek to take the first step towards the goal of returning to the podium after eight years, following the gold they won in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
“In the group, we won the games we had to win and we grew as a team. We are well prepared for this match. The key will be to stay calm, be very clear-headed and take advantage of the opportunities that appear,” says Tadeo.
The lionesswho finished second in Group B, will face the German team on Monday at 12:30 (7:30) also, third in Group A. They will try to keep alive the illusion of gold, the only color of Olympic medal missing from the Argentine women’s hockey showcases, where there are already three silvers (Sydney 2000, London 2012 and Tokyo 2020) and two bronzes (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008).
“I didn’t get to play, but I think that sometimes you suffer more from the outside than from the inside. In the group stage, I saw that the girls were very good, solid, confident and forceful. That’s the most important thing to face what’s coming,” Valentina reflects.
The Marcuccis, the same blood, the same passion and the unique chance to share their first Olympic Games.
