Argentine athletes leave Winter Olympics emptyhanded

When Verónica Ravenna carries the Argentine flag tomorrow during the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, it will signal the end of another round of winter games in which the Albiceleste will head home with a certain level of disappointment. None of Argentina’s seven athletes at the games finished in the top 20 of their respective events.

In Sochi, Russia, in 2014, Macarena Simari placed 20th in an Alpine skiing event, and Argentine athletes placed within the top 30 in events four times.

Argentina achieved the same this year — four top-30 finishes. Most successful were Ravenna in the luge and Matías Schmitt in men’s slopestyle, who both finished 24th. Steven Williams finished in snowboard cross and Schmitt in the snowboarding big air event finished 30th.

In two Alpine skiing events, Nicol Gastaldi finished 42nd in giant slalom but didn’t finish in the regular slalom. Her brother, Sebastiano Gastaldi, dropped out of the men’s slalom because of a serious injury to his right knee. Cecilia Domínguez placed 87th in the 10-kilometre cross-country ski, while Matías Zuloaga finished 100th in the 15-kilometre distance of the same event.

The highest-ever finish for an Argentine at the Winter Olympic Games was Osvaldo Ancinas, who placed 16th in men’s slalom in Squaw Valley, California in 1960.

“There’s a mix of emotions. The first that comes to mind is that you feel sad, because you they wanted more and defeat leaves a bad taste in their mouth,” said Mariano Rodríguez Giesso, president of the Argentine Ski and Mountaineering Federation. “I’m satisfied in an objective sense, and sad for the athletes in the Alpine skiing that couldn’t quite show how good they were and how much progress they’d made. And for the snowboarder who, despite competing at a high level, couldn’t qualify for the finals.”

“In the cross-country skiing competition, both athletes exceeded expectations and continue to improve, and Ravenna achieved a very impressive result,” Rodríguez Giesso added.

Ravenna will be the last Argentine face seen at the games. The rest of her compatriots have already headed home, but the 19-year-old luger will stay behind to represent Argentina in the Closing Ceremony.

“I was a little nervous during the competition, which is why things didn’t go as well as in practice, but being only 19 years old and it being my first Olympics, I’m happy with how I did and with the opportunity to represent Argentina,” Ravenna said.

Ravenna lives with her family permanently in Canada, but an ill-timed injury meant she lost her chance to make the Canadian luge team. She turned to Argentina, where she was born and lived until she was six years old. “We’re still very connected to Argentina. We go two or three times a year. We speak in Spanish in at home,” Ravenna said. “To be able to represent my family and where I’m from has been truly incredible.”

Argentina will be hoping to improve on its showing in South Korea when its contingent heads to Beijing in 2022.