From the improvised gym in Olavarría to the anxiety for the Olympic premiere in Tokyo: Agustín Vernice's dreams

Sabrina faija

07/31/2021 6:00 AM

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 07/31/2021 6:00 AM

Agustín Vernice had a ticket to Portugal for April 18, 2020. There, he was going to prepare for the Olympic Games that the coronavirus stopped.

So, when President Alberto Fernández ordered a strict quarantine on March 20, he packed his bag, the paddler left the house he shared with the Argentine rafting team in Tigre and returned to Olavarría.

There,

the Pan American champion two years ago set up a mini gym in one room and enjoyed his family

; He also reorganized his preparation for his first Olympic Games, the one that finally ended with three months in Portugal before traveling to Japan, where he awaits his debut.

"Almost two years have passed since my qualification (NdR: at the Hungarian World Championship in August 2019). I think many things changed but the essentials did not change, which is the desire to go for more and be better every day. I keep seeing in the same way sports and throughout this time I tried to continue learning as much as possible. I hope to be even more prepared, "he says about what will happen on Sunday at 22.21 in Argentina, when

the

K1 1000 rafting

test

starts.

.

Vernice, in the Japanese Garden, in a special production with Clarín.

Photo: Ariel Grinberg.

"At a sporting level I still did not have a commitment like the World Championship or the Lima Games to be able to compare myself to see where I stand today compared to 2019, but I have worked a lot. Especially in the final stretch to Tokyo we have done training sessions that have been better than other years and that also generates expectations, of course. But I don't want to anticipate before the competition, "he clarifies.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Agustín (@agustin_vernice)

The planning of Vernice and Diego Cánepa, the National Technical Director of the canoeing team, had begun with concentrations of three weeks for a rest in November 2019. Beyond the stop for the Holidays, he had no pause planned.

But the unexpected happened and the 26-year-old paddler

went from the 2,014 meters high of Tafí del Valle to the patio and the small room

of the family home in Olavarría, where he put the ergometer (the rowing simulator) and training material provided by the Students Club.

"There must be 50 meters deep. It's the good thing about living in a small city: the houses have a patio," he jokes.

"It's hard for me to think about what hurt me," he thinks when asked about the postponement of Tokyo 2020.

I don't know because I didn't compete.

I tried to take it in the best light and say,

'I have one more year of work

.'

Then, he elaborates: "If I think about it, the fact of being far away and losing continuity in international competitions could have hurt me, because in October and November 2020 they were held and we did not go. first international competition I had, which was difficult for me to get into the rhythm. But I worked very hard and trained very well, I had good training company when we returned with the national team. I haven't thought about it too much because I prefer to compete first and see how everything turns out, and then do an analysis ”.

On July 3, the 26-year-old found him far from home, training at Aviz, but he will receive the gift in Japan, when he has his Olympic baptism.

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A post shared by Agustín (@agustin_vernice)

"Tokyo will be my first Games, so I handle it with a lot of joy, a little anxiety but with my head on day-to-day, to enjoy the process," he anticipates.

"For me the Olympic Games from a very young age are the most important sporting event, so it is a very big commitment in which I want to be at the height - he confesses -. For that reason, every day I do my best.

Whatever the As a result, I think about the time to go home and share it with my loved ones and enjoy them

. "

The social role of canoeing

Just like Sabrina Ameghino, the Pan-American K1 200 champion at the Lima Games, is an instructor at the municipal school at the Ensenada Nautical Club, where she has 45 students, including her daughter Vera, Agustín Vernice has a special role in the Students Club. of Olavarría.

"Beyond brands, one is motivated by the fact that more boys practice sports, that they are less in the street and more in a club. For this reason, I am very proud when I see in Olavarría that children come to the club because they saw something sports in the newspaper. A sponsor is very important, but for other things it would be good to give visibility to the sport ", he deepens.

Agustín Vernice at the Estudiantes de Olavarría club.

Photo Twitter @GPSportsArg

And he adds: "

Sport in society is super important and you have to encourage kids to practice it, whatever it is

. I don't encourage a child to start boating because I like it, but I do encourage that child. he wants to go rowing, to be able to give him the necessary tools to do it as many times as he wants and find containment and a group of friends. "

Linked to the Olavarría Student Board of Directors, Vernice says that he contributes with everything he can, "from a talk to a shirt."

"I try to be present: to do what when I was a child I liked the older ones to do," he shares.

"

It is a nice way to get out of the selfishness that generates being all the time training in high performance

, which is very individualistic and makes you be with your head on yourself, in a routine of resting, eating well and training - he analyzes -. When you have the possibility to share an experience and see that others are interested, you are very proud of it. So I hope more people know about boating and we can encourage them with a good performance in the Olympic Games. "

Look also

Pedro Ibarra, the captain of Los Leones and how they will defend the Olympic gold after a year and a half without competing because of the pandemic

Fernanda Russo, hours away from debuting at Tokyo 2020: "If we don't learn anything as humanity, we are salami"