I remember that day as if it were yesterday. We were leaving the pool after our pre-Olympic routine and were nervously, but satisfied with the work done, waiting for the score that would give us the ticket to the London Games. Just as I saw on the screen that we had qualified, my mind inevitably traveled to the English capital and I saw myself competing in the biggest event that any athlete can dream of. I quickly returned to reality and, from that moment on, my mind focused on a clear objective: the medal and the podium.
When I saw that the women’s football team had qualified for the Olympics for the first time in its history after winning the Nations League, I was transported back to that moment and in a few seconds my head relived all the emotions of that day in the pre-Olympic tournament. I couldn’t have been happier for them.
Chatting with Alexia Putellas about my Olympic experience these days, we agreed that one of the most difficult aspects to manage is the pressure, which they are not lacking. They have been the favourites for gold ever since they were proclaimed world champions last summer. The poster is inevitable, but they are aware that these are their first Games and that it is a different competition from those they have participated in previously, with the excitement that this entails.
In the locker room they have the mentality of taking things step by step, they have less rest between matches and fewer players called up, but the ambition is maximum; they want to climb to the top step of the podium and take home the gold. From the way Alexia spoke to me before facing Colombia, it is clear to me that they are not taking anything for granted and, also, that they are going for it. Last night they knew how to endure playing with a cool head to come back from a match that was uphill for them. And they are now in the semi-finals.
A very magical moment of the Games is being able to live in the Olympic Village with athletes from all countries, with the same goals as you. Although they have not been able to be there yet; the group stage was in Nantes, and only if they reach the final will they be able to discover what it feels like to share the experience with thousands of athletes from so many nationalities. An unforgettable experience. I can’t wait for them to be able to experience it.
Before that, they have one penultimate match left, a semi-final that would put them in the final of their dreams. After what happened last night, we enter one of the great, sometimes taboo, themes of sport: defeat. Bitter and hard, even more so when you have been preparing for a final for four years, but in my opinion failure is the path to success. It is very hard, yes, but necessary. Learning from failure is what makes you grow as an athlete. In football you win or lose, but in the Games it is not like that. Winning a medal, even if it is silver or bronze, is an impressive achievement. Alexia explains to me that she does not think much about it. She believes that the energy is in the next match, but she does not know how she would react if she found herself in that situation. When you lose a final, she confesses, you do not usually see it as something positive.
There are many emotions, everything happens very quickly and it is very intense, these are sensations and memories that you carry with you for the rest of your life. What was a dream, something that seemed unattainable a while ago, has come true. Based on years of work, they have achieved another objective and I am clear that they are going all out to achieve another record for a team that seems to have no end.
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