Gabriela Schloesser-Bayardo is very clear that Mexican fans have a resentment against the Netherlands that has been exacerbated since 2014 when a penalty in favor of the Dutch team meant the end of Mexico’s World Cup. Although it is a different sport, 10 years after the penalty, the goalkeeper can hear the cry “it wasn’t a penalty” in her participation in the Olympic Games, since the Mexican became a naturalized Dutch citizen and jokes like that are already common.
In her second Olympic Games representing the Netherlands, Gabriela has found new frustrations to overcome. It is the second time she has lost against the South Korean delegation, but if in Tokyo 2020 she managed to win silver without having to compete against Mexico, in Paris 2024, she faced the country where she was born and fell to the Mexican team in search of bronze.
“I didn’t want to shoot against Mexico because it’s mentally exhausting,” the goalkeeper said in an interview with Clear Gabriela Schloesser-Bayardo, who became a naturalized Dutch citizen when she married goalkeeper Mike Schloesser, has always kept her love for Mexico alive, even when she stopped competing for the Latin delegation because for her it was the best option. “I decided to bet on Holland because I live there now, so it is easier for me to compete while I am in contact with the local people and culture, instead of returning to Mexico every time there is a national team tournament,” she commented in a statement. interview in 2018.
However, both in Tokyo 2020 and in Paris 2024, the messages on social networks against her show why it is so difficult for her to face Mexico. “She had to pay for the penalty that was not a penalty for being a traitor”, “Mexico is already in the medal table with a bronze, we took revenge for the penalty that was not a penalty and we beat the traitor”, are some of the messages on the social network X after Gabriela’s participation in archery, when her team lost 6-2 to Mexicans Angela Ruiz, Alejandra Valencia and Ana Vazquez.
Things can be different in the stadium, if only for a moment. The goalkeeper remembers that during her round against South Korea she heard shouts of support from the Mexican fans, but things change when she competes against Mexico. In addition to the shouts of “it wasn’t a penalty,” the goalkeeper knows that she is facing friends and coaches with whom she has won medals for Mexico in the past.
Despite the mental strain of shooting to eliminate Mexico, the goalkeeper says that her relationship with the Mexican team is only positive. “This competition was extra special, but I am very happy for them. For both Alejandra and Miguel, with whom I had the opportunity to work. When they won, I congratulated them all. The hug with them was enough for them to see that I am happy for them,” she said after the competition.
The Olympics can stir up nationalistic fervour – after all, countries are pitted against each other to determine their superiority – but while the clashes are merciless in the face of the possibility of glory, the archer has not forgotten who she is or where she comes from. In winning the silver medal for the Netherlands at Tokyo 2020, she said her triumph was that of her father, her mother, her brothers and also of Tijuana.
Gaby Schloesser continues her quest to compete in Paris 2024 in the Women’s Singles category. On July 30, she will face Frenchwoman Lisa Barbelin in the knockout phase. If she wins, she will aim to reach the podium on August 3.
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