Hockey superstar Luciana Aymar (pic) was announced today as
the flagbearer by her National Olympic Committee, set to lead her
country's delegation in the Opening Ceremony of the upcoming Olympic
Games in London in 44 days' time.
Aymar, who is competing in her 4th Olympic Games and turns 35 on the
day of the Olympic Final, is hoping to lead her team, the current World
Champions and Champions Trophy holders, to the Olympic gold and
thereby the only honor that is missing in her vast collection of team
and individual distinctions - in what is presumed to be her last big
international appearance in hockey.
The Magician, as she is nicknamed in Argentina, had
previously expressed her desire to fill the flagbearer role, saying "I
am fighting for the dream of being the flagbearer because I always liked
being there, at the front, with the Argentine colors. I would love to
be the flagbearer, I dream of that a lot of the days. It would be a very
big honor and a very gratifying moment as an athlete, and as a woman.
Hopefully, it will be given to me, I would be delighted with all my
heart."
The final vote was between 4 candidates: Luciana Aymar, 2008 Olympic
gold medalist cyclist Walter Pérez, tennis player Juan Martín Del Potro
and NBA basketball star Luis Scola. Aymar had been considered the
favorite before the vote and went on to beat out the other four
contenders in a secret vote amongst representatives of the 21 different
disciplines Argentina participates in, to follow in the footsteps of
Emanuel Ginóbili, considered the best Argentinean basketball player in
history, who led the Argentine delegation at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
The team captain of the Leonas will be the sixth female
flagbearer for Argentina in history, and the first woman since judoka
Carolina Mariani at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Aymar had
previously served as the flagbearer for her country at the 2007
Panamerican Games in Rio de Janeiro.
