Argentina wins men's bronze medal at BVP Lima 2019

LIMA, Peru, July 30, 2019 - The images of Julian Azaad running towards the stands to hug his parents and Nicolás Capogrosso, dropping into the sand, with his hands on his face covering the tears, will remain for an eternity kept in the memories of the fans at the beach volleyball finals of the Pan American Games in Lima 2019.

Azaad and Capogrosso won the bronze men's beach volleyball medal of the XVIII Pan American Games by beating 2-0 (21-17, 21-18) to Canada (Aaron Nusbaum / Michael Plantinga).

Exciting defensive plays, strong blocks and strong shots from both sides were enjoyed at the Costa Verde Stadium, with hundreds of fans enjoying the last day.

After a first set in favor of Argentina with a comfortable advantage, Canada took a 9-3 advantage in the second set, but Argentina reacted by drawing 10-10 and thereafter managed the game at its convenience, maintaining a three-point advantage .

For Nicolás, it was the opportunity to give a birthday present to his mother, who was in the stands. “My old lady wrote to me yesterday, she asked me how I was, I told her very well, I'm going to recover and I'm going to give you a good birthday present and this is the gift. It's only that she is here and could make it dedicated”, he said.

Capogrosso added “it's amazing how the sport gives you revenge, four years ago we lost in the quarterfinals in Toronto, and today winning the medal is a prize for all the sacrifice and work we have been doing. It is one of the objectives we set for Juli when this started. I can't believe it, there are many things behind, much effort, many lost birthdays, many Barbecue losts.”

Julián Azaad: “I think we didn't fall for the whole competition. Mexico (defeat in the semifinals) was pure merit of them, they played very well, we could have made a couple of mistakes, but they are common in these games. There are situations that try to put pressure, but the biggest is the desire to get on the podium, the desire and the beauty of that.