Special program: With our people in Paris 2024
Special sports program on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. teleSUR
Transcript
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00:36Hello everybody, this is Carlos Montero from Paris. We are only five days away from the end
00:43of this Olympics and they've been an Olympics great for the Caribbean. Yesterday the small
00:50island of Santa Lucia, it has less than 200,000 people living there, won another medal. It was a
00:59silver medal. So far it has two, one gold and one silver, thanks to the same track and field lady,
01:07Juliane Alfred. Also it was something great from Cuba, MijaÃn López, who won a five straight gold
01:15medal in five consecutive Olympics. But we are going to talk about this and a lot of things
01:20that are going on today. Let's go to talk to our correspondents. Eduardo Rigonesi,
01:26he was today watching field hockey. Bad news for Las Leonas from Argentina. Eduardo, go ahead.
01:37Hello Carlos, how are you? We were watching field hockey earlier today and look at us now.
01:40We are at the Stade de France stadium where there's athletics going on. One of ours is
01:46competing right now, Robely Peinado from Venezuela, on the pole vault jump. She was
01:51competing earlier and the 110 meter hurdles race is about to commence the second heat.
01:56So we will have all the details of the hockey match and what's going on here in athletics
02:01in just a few minutes, Carlos. We are going to be back with you Eduardo in any second. Also
02:10the dream team, the basketball American team, is getting closer to a gold medal. Yesterday beat
02:18Brazil. Charlie was in the stadium. Charlie, go ahead.
02:28Hi Carlos, how are you? Behind me in the Bercy Arena, USA beat Brazil 122 to 87 in the quarter
02:36finals of men's basketball. We have some interviews with Stephen Curry, with Embiid,
02:40and also Bruno Cavocolo. So stay tuned because later on I'll show you guys more.
02:44Thank you, Charlie. Charlie has the chance to talk to some of the superstars of the American
02:50dream. Everybody wants to take a picture with them. But let's talk about what's going on today.
02:56Eduardo's been working since very early, like I said, before he was following the Leonas from
03:02Argentina, who has a tough match against Netherlands. And now he's in track and field
03:10and now he's in track and field following our stars or people who represent Latin America.
03:17Let's go back to Eduardo to see what's going on. Eduardo, go ahead.
03:23Hey Carlos, if you can hear the roar from the crowd, it's because a French athlete
03:27is jumping. It's on the pole right now. Look at this. Look at this crowd. Listen to this.
03:32I don't know if you can hear at home. Very, very loud. Unfortunately, she didn't clear the 460
03:38mark. The French athlete Bonini, same result as Venezuelan athlete Robelis Peinado. We were
03:45following her. She was competing on the pole ball event. She cleared her first attempt at 440 meters.
03:52She did not clear the 460 meters. Everybody's getting quiet right now because the second
03:57heat of the 110 meter hurdles is about to happen. A lot of track and field, a lot of
04:02athletics happening right now. We'll have all the details later editions. But as you said,
04:08Carlos, earlier today we were at field hockey close to Paris. A very, very nice city around
04:1310 kilometers away from Paris. We were watching Netherlands against Argentina. Netherlands,
04:19of course, on the female side, the best team in the world. They are the world champions.
04:24They are dominant in this sport. They have won nine world cups and four gold medals. And Argentina,
04:31the last time they faced them, they have not been able to defeat them. Sadly, they lost 3-0
04:38today. We were able to talk to some of the players and some of the fans that were present
04:43at the stadium. And this is what they had to say. How are you feeling right after the
04:49semi-final match? Yeah, I'm super excited that we are in the final again. I think it's really
04:54special. And I'm really proud of the team that we did it again and that we're going to play for a
05:00gold medal again. Netherlands has been one of the best, if not the best, country in female
05:06hockey for a while. How do you sustain that? How do you maintain that over time?
05:13I think, yeah, like everyone wants to beat us. But still, we want to win gold as well. So we
05:19work really hard for it. And I think it's really special that we are able to have such a long
05:25streak of winning games. But still, we always want to win. So, yeah, it never gets old.
05:36Thank you very much and good luck in the final.
05:39Very sad day for Atleonas. They were very emotional. A lot of them were crying because
05:44it's a very, very tough loss. They played very well. They held 0-0 for a while,
05:49but they could not capitalize on the penalty corners that they had. A couple of them and
05:54Netherlands on the other side, they were able to score on those opportunities.
05:58What's next for Atleonas? They're waiting for the bronze medal match,
06:02the match between Belgium and China. Whoever makes it through is going to play Netherlands.
06:06Whoever loses that match that's happening right now is going to play Argentina for the bronze
06:12medal. Carlos, we're going to stay here. As I told you, the 110-meter hurdles heat,
06:17the second heat is about to start. And we're going to record that for you guys. And we're
06:21going to have it on later editions, Carlos. Absolutely, Eduardo, I would like to know
06:30how was the atmosphere at the stadium because Atleonas are very popular in Argentina. They
06:37made field hockey a popular sport. There were a lot of Argentinians when we were interviewing the
06:43players from Netherlands. I've seen some flags. There were more Argentines or more people from
06:48Netherlands at the stadium. Let me tell you, it was about 90 to 10 percent. 90 percent Netherlands,
06:5710 percent Argentina. The stadium was filled with orange jerseys. But with that said, the loudest
07:05crowd, the loudest chants were from that 10 percent. The vamos, vamos Argentina was heard
07:10all over the stadium, even quieting the Dutch fans. The Argentinian fans really made themselves
07:17noticed at the event that they were supported. Even they made some of the players cry when we
07:21were at the mix zone. They kept chanting, they kept supporting and that made the players very,
07:25very emotional. So the crowd, as always, Argentina, whether it's any sport,
07:31football, basketball or hockey, they always get a 10 in the scoreboard.
07:39We are very loud, absolutely. They wanted to go back home with the gold medal. But I mean,
07:45a bronze, if they can get the bronze, it's going to be good enough for us. Eduardo, we'll be back
07:51with you during this day. We are following track and field, absolutely. It's really exciting. Thank
07:57you, Eduardo Regonesi, live with us. We were talking before about Michael Lopez, who did
08:06history yesterday, winning five straight gold medals in consecutive Olympics. But let's talk
08:13about Cuban athletics. You know, Cuban, we talked about this before, it's the country,
08:19even though it didn't win many medals in this Paris 2024, in the history of the Olympics,
08:25it's the country in Latin America who has the most number of medals. But now let's look at the future
08:31today. Ana Fidelia Quiroz. Her story is really amazing. It's going to give you inspiration to
08:39believe in people. Let's see it. She had been selected in 1989 as the best athlete in the world
08:49in her sport. She already held gold titles in 400 and 800 meters at the Central Caribbean level,
08:55Pan American Games and World Cups. She had also won an Olympic bronze in Barcelona in 1992,
09:01when she ran while she was several weeks pregnant. But on the night of January 22,
09:071993, a domestic accident involving flammable liquid changed her life forever. Her unborn baby
09:14did not survive. 21 surgeries, several skin transplants and endless nights in intensive care
09:20had her on the verge of death, with second and third degree burns on almost 40% of her body.
09:27Nothing comforted the first woman on the planet to go under two minutes in the 800 meters. Only
09:33the encouragement to return to the track encouraged her to stay awake. A silver that
09:38tastes like gold at the Central American Caribbean Games in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that same year gave
09:44the first sign of her physical and mental recovery eight months after the accident. The first world
09:50title with the two laps of the oval in Gothenburg in 1995 foresaw that for the 96 Olympic Games in
09:57Atlanta, she had to be gone and on. In the Olympic 800-meter final, she seemed to have
10:02everything under control, while her main rival, Maria Mottola from Mozambique, was trailing behind
10:09her. However, the Cuban could not avoid the impressive sprint finish of Rocha Esteblana
10:15Macercova. However, her silver medal had the value of resurrection, perseverance, emotion and being a
10:22survivor in Olympus. A year later, she could climb to the top of the podium at the World
10:27Championship in Athens, reaching a rematch with Macercova because the European was already running
10:341,500 meters. But the legend of Ana Fidelia was already moving with threats of eternity and traces
10:42of sacrifice. Let's keep talking about the female legend from Latin America. Let's go from Cuba to
10:55Colombia. Colombia, you know the first woman who won a medal. Her name is Maria Isabel Uridia.
11:04Sydney 2000, that's when she won the important medal for this Latin American country.
11:10Let's see her story.
11:17Our Colombian weightlifter Maria Isabel Uridia won the first Olympic gold in the history of
11:23her country in Sydney 2000, after lifting 135 kilograms in the 70 kilograms category.
11:30Maria Isabel lifted the approximate equivalent of four male German shepherd dogs
11:42or two Simon Bolivars.
11:46It is one more feat of her people.
11:48A strong lady, of course. Let's talk about Michael Lopez. I don't know if you've been
12:00following. Yesterday he made history here in Paris 2024. Telesur had the chance to talk to him
12:09after he won the five straight gold medal in five Olympics. Nobody done that before. He
12:17made Cuba proud. The whole country was paralyzed watching his fight, his last fight, because he
12:24retired after last night. He has behind a wonderful career. Let's go to see her career,
12:32his selection, and then I'm going to show you what he told Telesur last night after the match.
13:33I think the most beautiful and essential thing is the happiness of being able to achieve a result,
13:38an expected result, not only for me, but for the whole world, for my country, Cuba,
13:44for all my friends, for my father, may God give him glory, for my mother, my children.
13:50But nothing, happy to have reached the top, as we say in the Olympic elite, and nothing,
13:58to enjoy the triumph. I think it is the course of life, I think it is the effort that one makes
14:05and the effort that is made every day, in every day, in all the goals that one sets,
14:10with the help of all the followers, with the help of your family,
14:14with the effort and mind that one has to deposit in each of the things that are drawn in his life,
14:20and nothing, I think it is better to carry out, in the end, to carry out this great merit,
14:30which is to achieve the most important triumph in the career of a sportsman,
14:33which is to have an Olympic medal in the Olympic Games.
14:37Mijain made us all proud. Cuba, in this Olympics, won only so far two medals,
14:43but the one from last night, the gold medal, is worth like 200. Congratulations,
14:48Mijain. Last night, you also played the dream team, the famous basketball team from the USA,
14:55that played against Brazil. Charlie was there.
15:01Hi Carlos, how are you? USA is officially in the semi-finals after they beat Brazil,
15:05122 to 87, and the Bercy Arena right behind me. And we had the chance to talk to some NBA players,
15:12so listen to what they had to say.
15:15We know they're a very good team, tough team, so we're excited for the challenge,
15:20but we keep playing like we have been, and enjoying this whole experience, and we'll be fine.
15:25We still got some things to tighten up, but other than that, good win, moving on, and we'll go from
15:29there. No, Brazil is obviously evolving. My wife is Brazilian, so I've been there a couple of times,
15:38but it keeps evolving. They got to this level, and I'm sure they got a couple of young guys,
15:44so I'm not going to get bad with the big fellas, so they're going to be good.
15:49But we also got an interview with Bruno Caboclo, a player from the Brazilian national team. Let's
15:53know what he had to say as well. I think we did a great job. We did a very good run. Of course,
16:01we lost to the United States in the quarterfinals, but I think we did a great job. We put a good
16:07fight, and just got to keep working and have another opportunity to come back to the Olympics
16:12and do better. A message for all the Brazilians that can support you? I'm so happy for them.
16:18They always bring so much energy. They're like crazy fans, and I love that from them,
16:24and I'm so happy to be born in Brazil and represent the country. It's true what he says
16:30about Brazilian fans. They are really passionate, and I couldn't leave without getting to hear what
16:34they had to say to you. It is a difficult game for us to Brazil, but we gave our best, and
16:43we have other games now. Making the quarterfinals was great. There was always that one percentage
16:49of hope, but we knew it would be very difficult, and it proved to be more difficult than we even
16:54thought. Brazil has a lot of fans in every sport. How do you explain it? Well, I think we love to
17:00root and support our team on anything. The results are coming. Each Olympics we're getting
17:08slightly better, so it's a process. We'll get there. We already know that we didn't have any
17:13chance, but it's really good to see the USA team playing all together. It's something historical.
17:23It's so cool, and I think we played good. It was a good game. We didn't win, but it was really
17:32nice to see. Well, there you have it, Carlos. Brazil knew it was going to be a tough game,
17:37but they fought their hearts out anyways. In the semifinals, we got USA, we have Serbia,
17:43we have France, and we have Germany, so we'll see what happens in those games. Back to you, Carlos.
17:48Thank you, Charlie. Bruno Calvoto, who was the best player of the match,
17:55he has the experience. He played at the NBA for a long time at the highest level. Brazil is doing so
18:02far in the medal table. They are in 17th place, the first one in Latin America, but let's go to
18:10the rest. We were talking about the dream team, USA. In first place, USA has 24
18:20gold medals, 88 all together. Follow up, the second one is China, very close, only one behind,
18:2723 and 61. Australia, third place, France, fourth, Great Britain, second, and if we go down,
18:37we are going to see in 17th place, Brazil. Brazil has two gold medals, 14 all together,
18:44and what Charlie was saying is true. There are a lot of Brazilian people in Brazil cheering for
18:50their team. Okay, this was all for this hour. Hopefully, I see you tomorrow at the same time
18:58for the same channel. Adios, amigos. See you tomorrow. Bye-bye.