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Simonet is on board for Paris 2024: "Something amazing"
18 Jul. 2024
London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and now Paris 2024. While other powerhouses in men’s handball have failed to take part at all the last editions of the Olympic Games, Argentina have always been there, striving to be a dark horse and create a shock or two.
In their first two appearances, they secured a win at London 2012 and Rio 2016 each, finishing 10th. Last time around, at Tokyo 2020, they lost all the five matches and ended up last, as they are now more experienced and try to improve their ranking at Paris 2024.
“Playing at the Olympic Games is our aim in every cycle of four years. For us, in Argentina, to be there, it is truly a dream, to be between the top 12 teams in the world. It is an incredible amount of work put in, but we just want to enjoy it and give it our all for results,” says Argentina’s centre back, Diego Simonet.
The South American side earned their ticket for Paris 2024 via the Pan American Games, back in November 2023, where they secured five wins in five matches. They started with three wins in the preliminary round, 28:14 against USA, 37:16 against Uruguay and 28:20 against Cuba, extending their superb run in the knockout phase.
There, Argentina took a 33:26 win over Chile in the semi-finals, setting up a true derby against Brazil in the final, which they thoroughly dominated, delivering a fantastic 32:25 win, to secure the Paris 2024 ticket. Since then, though, Argentina have made a step back.
At the 2024 South and Central American Men's Handball Championship, which they hosted in Buenos Aires in January 2024, the South American side drew against Chile, 27:27, and lost against Brazil, 26:28, conceding the title and finishing only as runners-up, a wake-up call before a tough competition at Paris 2024.
“The most important thing is to bring Argentina to the Olympic Games, but I think it means more to help the team secure the ticket to the Olympics. Of course, it is amazing to play there, but just to help the team qualify is crucial. For me, it is more valuable to win the Pan American Games and qualify than taking part. For us, we have to understand, that qualifying is the most important,” adds Simonet.
Aged 34, Simonet featured over 100 times for Argentina and has made his debut at the Olympics at London 2012, when the South American side also made their first appearance in the competition.
He is also the most experienced player in the team, having played for Montpellier HB since 2013, where he won the EHF Champions League Men, being the MVP of the EHF FINAL4 in 2018, as well as being named the All-Star centre back of one of the strongest domestic leagues in the world, France, in 2014 and 2015.
“My best memory, I think, is when we were at the Olympic Games for the first time and we entered there and saw how it is, I think it is something unique. When you are there and live it, it is something amazing, on a day-to-day basis. Obviously, when you return, it is still incredible, but the factor of surprise is not there, you know what expects you, it is still beautiful to live it,” says the centre back.
However, Simonet has definitely navigated through some tough moments, including a devastating injury, torn ligaments in his knee, which saw him miss out on playing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a huge blow for the centre back, who was just entering the prime of his career.
“I think it was an important moment of my career, where I have learnt the most. It helped my a lot, mentally, to grow as a person and I am glad that I had that in my life, to help me change the way I think,” says Argentina’s centre back.
But now, Simonet is preparing for his third edition of the Olympics, having also played three years ago at Tokyo 2020. And he is eager to deliver a good performance, in what could be his last appearance at the Olympic Games, both for him and for other ageing Argentina stars, like right back Federico Pizarro and goalkeeper Leonel Maciel.
“I am very happy to return to play for the Olympic Games, especially when everything returns to normal, without any pandemic. I think that Paris 2024 will be a competition which is excellently organised, as well as it was at London 2012, or even better,” says Simonet.
“I don’t dream of another edition of the Olympics, at Los Angeles, in 2028, I only want to get to the top form against Norway at Paris 2024. In sport I understood that things change very fast, so plans can change very fast.”
The love and attraction which Simonet feels for the Olympic Games – “every kid wants to go there” – was also translated into the player’s biggest hobby – board games. Between several titles launched over the last years, Simonet also created an Olympics-inspired title, Olympikos, which aims to introduce athletes to the richness of modern board games and gamers to the exciting world of sports.
His wife, Sol, is a graphic designer and helps him with the entire process of giving shape and color to the hobby. And Simonet will surely take one or two to deliver them to his Argentina teammates at Paris 2024, just to feel even better the atmosphere of the Olympics.