With the peculiar design of the Olympic tracks, in 1924, the first gold medal won by an Argentine team matched a sport long ago removed from the net: polo.
It was in Paris in 1924 when Argentina backed away from the great candidate, the United States, and another power like the United Kingdom.
In the games already 97 years old, Enrique Thompson, a 26-year-old athlete, was the standard-bearer for the Albiceleste delegation, which would eventually reach 13th place in the decathlon event.
Participation in the Paris Olympics was the first whose organization was entirely responsible for the Argentine Olympic Committee (IOC).
A delegation of 93 athletes completed a successful harvest with six medals (one gold, three silver and one bronze), eight more places were awarded, and in the final standings placed 15th out of 44 countries: the sixth best bid for the competition. Argentina at the Olympic Games.
They were the great matches of Rosario Luis Antonio Pronto and his amazing silver in the triple jump.
Pronto, who was scored by chance, held an exceptional stamp with a mark of 15.425 meters that served as a South American record until 1951 and as an Argentine record until 1975.
In those days, American polo led the way and emerged as Song’s favorite to take the highest place on the podium and actually score comfortable victories against France 13-1 and Spain 15-2.
However, the highlights were Argentine Juan Nelson (33 years and 7 disabilities), Juan Miles (29 years and 7 disabilities), Enrique Padilla (33 years and 6 disabilities) and Arturo Keni (34 years and 5 disabilities).
Guillermo Brooke Naylor and Alfredo Peña were part of the team.
Argentina beat Spain consecutively 16-2, the United States 6-5 and the United Kingdom 9-5.
Of course, the decisive bout—but not the one for Olympic gold, which was only secured on July 16 against Gaul—was the one with the United States, so much so that the last chukker was reached in a 5-5 tie and when. Equality, a work inspired by Juan Nelson, appears to have sealed and proved Argentina’s victory.
“The Big Four of the South,” the Paris press baptized the Argentine polo team credited with establishing gold.
Polo has incorporated the Olympic organizational chart only five times: Paris 1900, London 1908, Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924 and Berlin 1936.
Argentina won the gold in the aforementioned games in Paris 1924 and also in Berlin 1936 with a score of 11-0 against the United Kingdom. (Tillam)
