The Spanish delegation to the Paris Games did not meet the expectations that the COE president, Alejandro Blanco, had generated, that the 22 medals won in Barcelona 92 would be surpassed, but nobody can say that the classic fishing ground for team sports has not come out on top: four medals with the golds of the men’s football team and the women’s water polo team, the silver in the women’s 3×3 basketball team and the bronze of the Hispanos in handball. This means that 22% of the medals were achieved in this area, the largest percentage since the domestic event three decades ago. In the previous conclaves, three of the 17 were won in Tokyo; in Rio, two of the 17; and in London, three of the 20.
The Parisian gathering confirmed the ability of Spanish athletes to continue producing in this sector regardless of the pedigree of the disciplines. They did so in traditional modalities, and in others as exotic as 3×3. Vega Gimeno, Sandra Ygueravide, Juana Camilión and Gracia Alonso de Armiño culminated, unexpectedly, one of the great stories of the national expedition in a modality that for Spain began in 2010. A week ago, in the Concorde, they beat the United States and only fell to Germany. During the year they are players of routine 5×5 basketball, and in summer and occasionally they meet with the emotional incentive of the Games.
Spain’s usual productivity in this collective aspect also serves to outline its sporting profile. Its union spirit and tactical strength, developed in some cases to compensate for the physical deficit compared to some countries, have been the most frequent arguments to explain its development in these disciplines. Being an Olympic power does not necessarily imply harvesting successes in team sports. A superficial glance at the medal table makes it clear: China, number two with 91 medals, has only taken the silver in women’s field hockey; Japan, number three in the ranking, has come away empty-handed despite 45 in total; and Australia (4th), just two out of 53.
Two golds after 28 years
The number of teams that qualified already announced the good health of this department: 11 of the 16 possible teams qualified. There were no big surprises in the absences either: the two teams from the depressed volleyball, rugby 7 and the men’s 3×3. More than a third ended up with a medal, although in this case it is not a record number since the change of venues in Barcelona. In other events, the efficiency has been even greater: in Beijing 2008 there were six teams and half of them finished on the podium, and in Atlanta, three of the five.
Despite the well-known good health of team sports, there was a gap in the Olympic harvest that had continued since Atlanta 96: a gold medal was missing. The last one had been in men’s water polo. Since then, eight silver medals have been won. And that point was resolved in Paris with the titles of the men’s football team and the women’s water polo team.
The Hispanics do not forgive the bronze
Despite the weight of the results, Spain has only been let down by the women’s football team, which finished fourth in France. They suffered in the quarter-finals against Colombia, fell behind in the semi-finals against Brazil and, in search of the consolation of bronze against Germany, suffered their great drama with the penalty missed by Alexia Putellas in the 98th minute. However, in terms of sensations, no team has disappointed more than the handball Warriors, who have been defeated in all five games and, above all, overwhelmed by the environmental burden of the tournament. The men’s basketball team, which was eliminated in the first round due to a difference in points, was not expected to make any great progress given its talents.
The reliability of team sports marked a distance between them, for example, and wrestling. Judo only won one of its five bronze matches (Fran Garrigós) and taekwondo, none of the two. Spain missed out on some medals that it was counting on (it had two in judo and in taekwondo it presented two number twos in the ranking: Adriana Cerezo and Adrián Vicente). The opposite side of this rift was once again represented by the Hispanos, as frustrated in the semi-finals as they were effective in the fight for third place. Five consolation matches and full of victories. The one in Paris, moreover, was the most complicated to manage in recent times due to the mental blow that falling in the semi-finals against the accessible Germany meant. With them, the production of medals closed at four.
Team medals at each Games
Paris 2024. Four of 18 medals (22%) in 11 sports (36%).
Tokyo 2020. Three of 17 (17%) in nine disciplines (33%).
Rio 2026. Two of 17 (12%) in nine modalities (22%).
London 2012. Three of 20 (15%) in seven sports (42%).
Beijing 2008. Three of 19 (15%) in six disciplines (50%).
Athens 2004. Zero out of 20 in seven modalities.
Sydney 2000. Two of 11 (18%) in seven sports (28%).
Atlanta 96. Three of 17 (17%) in five disciplines (60%).
Barcelona 92. Two of 22 (9%) in 10 modalities (20%).
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