Day 10 at Paris 2024 didn’t start well for the Argentine Olympic Team as two representatives bowed out of the competition. The men’s volleyball team wrapped up its campaign with 3-0 loss to Germany to confirm its elimination, while the men’s handball side fell 28-21 to France, leaving them with no chance to make it to the quarterfinals.
The volleyball team arrived at the game with Germany with a lot of ground to make up. Having lost against the United States and Japan, they required a 3-1 win or better and some help from other results to make it into the next stage as one of the two best third placed teams.
However, scores of 25-13 in 19 minutes, 25-21 in 25′ and 25-21 in 24′ sealed the defeat in just over an hour of play. Men’s volleyball was one of Argentina’s biggest shots at a medal, as it looked to repeat the historic bronze achieved in Tokyo 2020.
The game might have also been the last we have seen of two of the biggest names in Argentina volleyball history, as captain Facundo Conte and Argentine team flag-carrier Luciano de Cecco both spoke about retirement.
“I leave having given it all,” said Facundo, the son of Argentine volleyball legend Hugo Conte and a bronze medallist himself in Seoul 88. “These tears aren’t sadness; it’s pride. I’m very happy that my last volleyball game was playing with my country’s colors.”
“I couldn’t have dreamt of a better ending, with my family, my girlfriend, and a lot of dear people. I’m very happy and very proud.”
De Cecco lamented that the team couldn’t show its best form.
“It was a good journey,” he told sports outlet TyC. “Unfortunately, it is the end of a complicated year, with many ups and downs. Today this cycle ends, an important cycle for the national team, in which we put a small volleyball country among the 10 best in the world, and even won a medal.”
He also added that he wasn’t sure if this was his last game with the national team, albeit hinting it was probably his last Olympics, doubting he’ll “make it to Los Ángeles [2028].”
Gladiadores come up short of winning conquest and see early exit
After losing 36-31 to Norway, 35-25 to Hungary, and 38-27 to Denmark, the Argentine men’s handball national team needed a win against France to keep their chances alive. However, they’re efforts weren’t enough, as a 28-21 loss saw them exit their fourth Olympics early.
The Gladiators played a good game against a handball powerhouse. The French team were quick to build up a big lead early on, but the team coached by Guillermo Milano worked hard and was able to narrow the gap to three goals.
However, France’s quality prevailed and with one game left, the Gladiadores now have no chance to qualify for the quarterfinals. James Parker was the Argentine scorer with seven goals, followed by Pablo Simonet with five.
“Against a team like this, you can’t afford to waste chances,” Simonet told TyC. “We played well, we defended hard, the goalkeepers pulled good saves, and we generated a lot in attack, but when you miss your chances it’s very hard to win.”
He added that the team will look to wrap up the campaign with a win against Egypt, their last game of the group stage, set to start Sunday at 6 a.m.
“The competition level at the Olympics is very high, and we rose to the challenge. I’m very proud of this team because, despite the injuries and how few of us there are, challenging top teams isn’t easy,” Simonet said.
“We don’t know when Argentina will qualify again for the Olympics. Making it to four games straight is a miracle with the infrastructure that handball has. We try to enjoy it with our fans and family, and I’m happy about that.”
All times shown are for Argentina local time (GMT-3). For local times, check the Paris 2024 Olympics site.