The Argentine team kept up the pace on day five of the 2024 Paris Olympics with some very good results.

The pick of the bunch was undoubtedly the Leonas, the women’s hockey team, who managed a hard-fought 4-2 win against South Africa. One of Argentina’s biggest hopes for a medal in these Summer Olympics, the team struggled to find its footing early on and quickly fell behind when Marie Louw made it 1-0 for the South Africans at the end of the first quarter.

Early in the beginning of the second set, Agustina Gorzelany got the tie and Argentina dominated the game. But South Africa managed to keep up with Kayla de Waal scoring and making it 2-1.

Argentina was unable to do much in the third quarter, playing for several minutes with nine players due to the green cards to Sofía Cairo and Victoria Sauze. However, the Leonas came alive in the fourth quarter. In a four-minute blur, two goals by Gorzelany and another by Julieta Jankunas made it 4-2, a result they were able to hold up until the end.

“No game is easy,” said team captain Rocío Sánchez Moccia in post-game interviews. “Everyone said we were better on paper, but you have to play every game, and that rings even more true in the Olympics.”

Argentina has now two wins in two games in the tournament and leads Group B with six points. On Wednesday, Las Leonas face Spain at 5 a.m. 

No luck for the men’s hockey team

After starting its Paris 2024 with a 1-0 loss against Australia, the Leones — the Argentine men’s hockey team — needed a win in its second game against India to claim some ground back in group B of the tournament. 

It was a tight game where India looked to be edging the Argentine team, with key saves by goalkeeper Tomás Santiago to keep them in the game. But a goal early in the second quarter by Lucas Martínez gave them the advantage. A penalty in the third quarter could’ve doubled its lead, but Maico Casella’s shot went wide.

The Leones defended fiercely against an implacable Indian team as the game progressed, but they were unable to save the result, as Harmanpreet Singh scored the tie for India in the last minute of play. 

Argentina is stil grasping at a chance of a quarterfinal spot, sitting fourth in group B. It will face New Zealand, currently in fifth, on Tuesday at 12 p.m.

Tennis: ‘We gave it everything we had’

The two top-ranked Argentines in the men’s draw spearheaded Monday’s efforts in the tennis tournament. Francisco Cerúndolo (26th ATP singles ranked) beat local Ugo Humbert (15) 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in a tightly contested game that lasted almost three hours to seal his ticket to the round of 16.

“It was a battle, we gave it everything we had,” said Cerúndolo after the game. It was a monumental effort for the Argentine, who arrived in Paris after claiming his third ATP title in Umag on Saturday and has played six matches in as many days since last Wednesday. 

“For him it was an advantage to play at home, he wanted to win at all costs. I had to try to keep my head down and I think I did it.”

He’ll face Norwegian star Casper Ruud for a spot in the quarters.

Another who found a hard challenge to book his place in the next round was top Argentine player Sebastián Báez (18). The San Martín native was expecting an easier game, but he found an inspired rival in Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan (166).

After claiming the first set 6-2, Báez wasn’t to impose himself against a Hassan who put out increasingly aggressive shots to claim the second set 6-3. In a third set that proved a grueling affair, and struggling to find his best tennis, the Argentine won it in the tie-break 7-6.

He’ll face Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas (11) in the third round.

The last Argentine victory of the day was that of Lourdes Carlé (164 WTA doubles ranked) and Nadia Podoroska (439), who overcame Germany’s Tajtana Maria (308) and Tamara Korpatsch (304) 6-3, 6-0. Earlier in the day Carlé fell by 6-1, 6-1 to U.S. player Coco Gauff (2) in the women’s singles draw.

Tomás Etcheverry exited both the singles and doubles men’s draws, first losing 6-0 and 7-6 (1) to Russian Roman Safiullin and then alongside Mariano Navone as the Argentine duo lost to The Netherlands’ Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer by 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4).

Other results

Marcelo Gutiérrez finished eight in the 10m Air Rifle Final early in the morning, while 17-year-old Chiara Ferretti finished 20th and 21st in the first two races in the women’s windsurfing.

Mar del Plata native Matías Dell Olio made history as he became the first Argentine to compete in skateboarding in the Olympic Games. He reached the final and finished eight.

The Gladiadores, the Argentine men’s handball team, lost 35-25 to Hungary in the second match of Group B. They will face Denmark on Wednesday.

All times shown are for Argentina local time (GMT-3). For local times, check the Paris 2024 Olympics site