“We are candidates for medals, even gold,” said technical director of water skiing.

(By Marcos González Cezer).- The technical director of the Argentine water ski team, Renato Buscema, considered that the team that will compete in the Pan American Games in Chile, made up of six athletes, “is super focused,” while considering that He is a “medal candidate” in several events.

“We are super focused. We know that we are candidates for medals, even gold. Our goal is to continue doing things well and that the result is the product of what we have been doing, but without putting pressure on ourselves. We are going to do our best,” he said. Buscema, 44-year-old from Entre Ríos and coach since 2019 in an interview with Télam.

Water skiing, which has competed in the Pan American Games since the Mar del Plata 1995 edition, won three gold medals: Javier Julio (overall and figures in Guadalajara 2011) and Eugenia de Armas (wakeboard in Lima 2019); two silver: Lorena Botana (figures in Winnipeg 1999) and Ulf Ditsch (wakeboard in Lima 2019) and thirteen bronze.

The bronze medals were obtained by Javier Julio (figures in Winnipeg 1999 and slalom in Santo Domingo 2003); Jorge Renosto (slalom in Mar del Plata 1995 and figures in Santo Domingo 2003); Adán Botana (slalom in Mar del Plata 1999); Edgardo Martín (wakeboard in Rio de Janeiro 2007); Alejo De Palma (wakeboard in Guadalajara 2011) and Lorena Botana (figures in Mar del Plata 1995).

And Adán and Lorena Botana, Julio; Martín López Filloy, Marion Rochaix and Jorge Renosto (mixed teams in Mar del Plata 1995); Javier Julio (overall, figures and slalom in Toronto 2015) and Tobías Giorgis (overall in Lima 2019).

At the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, the Argentine team achieved the following results: Paloma Giordano (figures), seventh; Violeta Mociulsky (figures), 12th; Violeta Mociulsky (jump), seventh; Paloma Giordano (slalom), tenth; Violeta Mociulsky (slalom), eighth; Paloma Giordano (overall), ninth and Violeta Mociulsky (overall), tenth.

And Eugenia De Armas (wakeboard), first and Ignacio Giorgis (figures), tenth; (jump), eighth; (slalom), 16th and (overall), tenth; Tobias Giorgis (figures), ninth; (jump), fifth; (slalom), 12th and (overall), third and Ulf Ditsch (wakeboard), second.

The Argentine team that will compete in Chile will be made up of Eugenia De Armas and Kai Ditsch (Wakeboard); Patricio Sohar Violeta Mociulsky, Antonio Collaso and Tobías Giorgis (Water skiing).

-Télam: What goal did you set for water skiing for the Pan American Games?

-Renato Buscema: The objectives are to maintain the results of the last Pan American and improve. The level of our rivals grew, but so did ours. In Wakeboard, by maintaining the results, we have already met our objective because what we obtained in the previous Pan American was practically unbeatable. We know that we are candidates in both disciplines: wakeboarding and water skiing. In men and women we have a golden possibility. We have super focused and trained athletes. In men, positioned among the ten best in the world, and in women, among the three in the world. In water skiing, Tobías Giorgis grew a lot in his sporting maturity and is in search of an overall podium, with possibilities of gold.

-T: How do you define the Argentine team that will compete in Chile? What characteristics does it have and what are its greatest strengths and weaknesses?

-RB: It is a young team, with full-time dedication of the athletes. Technically trained with support from parents, Enard and the Sports Secretariat. This combo makes athletes great world exponents. Thanks to the entities they can train, travel and compete at an international level. That gave them friction. This team, which has been working on sports development, already has top-class, established athletes who are entering their sporting maturity, with a good projection in their careers.

-T: How was the preparation for the Pan American Games and what level will the team reach?

RB: In the case of wakeboarding we did a series of training concentrations and selecting key competitions, to which we go with the focus of measuring ourselves competitively and following the continuous improvement process that we have worked on for a long time. The results are supporting us. The last important competition we had was the World Cup in Portugal last month in which Eugenia De Armas obtained fourth place and Kai Ditsch, seventh. In the case of water skiing, athletes have their selected competitions, in which they measure and gain experience in those experiences. They have the World Cup this month so they will arrive at the Pan American Games super prepared.

-T: Who are the rivals with whom Argentina will fight for medals?

-RB: In the case of wakeboarding, clearly the United States is the main rival; and then come Mexico and Canada. In the case of water skiing, the same rivals plus Colombia.

-T: The coach of the Argentine rowing team, Pablo Susini, stated in an interview with Télam that “they will give satisfaction to the country” at the Pan American Games in Chile in October. And water skiing?

-RB: We are super focused. We know that we are candidates for medals. even gold. Our vision is to continue doing things well and that the result is the product of what we have been doing, but without putting pressure on ourselves. Let’s do our best.

-T: What are the team training like? How many days per week and how many hours per day?

-RB. In the case of wakeboarding, our athletes are one hundred percent dedicated to the sport. They live half the year in the United States or Mexico and thus train with their peers, as well as Italian and Australian athletes with whom they compete, always following the plan that we make for them from the Federation in terms of training and competitions, and the rest. of the months in Argentina. When they are in the country they train four times a week, double shifts, and every two times, they do it with me. Then they have their physical part. When they are in the northern hemisphere, they have competitions every two weeks. Tobías trains five days a week in Rosario and also prepares in the United States by doing concentrations and competing in competitions.

-T: Are the athletes who will compete in Chile scholarships from the National Sports Secretariat and the National High Performance Sports Entity (Enard)? How do you evaluate that support?

-RB: We have only one exception: Antonio Collaso who has a scholarship from Secretariat but not from Enard. He has an excellent level and is on par with the competition.