SPORT BRINGS FAMILIES TOGETHER: WOMEN’S HANDBALL AT SANTIAGO 2023
The family stories behind what led siblings to play for Argentina and Cuba. The women’s handball competition for the podium at the 19th Pan American Games has now moved past the group stage and into the matches to determine the eighth through fifth places and the podium. Argentina seeks revenge to secure the desired gold medal, while Cuba aims to finish as the fifth-best team in the Pan American region.
THE BONO FAMILY
The Bono family, consisting of Alejandro Bono and Viviana Irañeta, and their children Fernando, Gonzalo, Nicolas and Carolina, are originally from Villa Ballester, located in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first two, Fernando and Gonzalo, are now retired from handball and work in Argentina. Meanwhile, Nicolas and Carolina represent their country on the national team.
Although the brother hasn’t made his Pan American Games debut yet, his younger sister has. Carolina participated in all three of Argentina’s matches in Group A, leading the group with six points. However, her sporting journey started in another Olympic sport.
“I began playing handball at a very young age, but I also did artistic gymnastics. I started handball by watching my brothers. My parents also played handball, and we all started, one after the other. I played my whole life in Ballester until 2019; after that, I went to Spain. I think it was a super nice experience that any athlete should try. You lose nothing by going,” Carolina explained.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point for the world, including Carolina and her family. After a year abroad, she returned to her beloved Villa, where she could once again be with her family all of 2020. Yet handball continued to be a significant part of her life.
“I trained via videoconference with the junior national team. Returning to play in 2021 was beautiful. That’s what you train for. At the beginning, it was a bit challenging because, in the end, training is not the same as competing. This is my first tournament with the senior national team, and it’s a mix of sensations: nerves, excitement, joy. Despite not being in the Pan American Village, the experience has been unforgettable. Handball is everything to me; it’s my life. It affects me in every way. If things go wrong, I’m sad, and there’s no feeling that can compare,” she said. Speaking about her presence at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, her voice becomes a bit more tremulous, expressing clear emotion.
Her goal is to secure the gold medal so that she can fully support her brother Nicolas, who is hoping to compete for Argentina in the men’s division at these Pan American Games. Currently, Argentina is the reigning Pan American gold medalist.
THE GONZALEZ SISTERS FROM CUBA
We travel from South America to Cuba, specifically to Matanzas, a province of 140,000 people located about an hour from Havana. In this distant town from the capital, Dianny and Diancy Gonzalez were born. They claim that their father nurtured in them the values of Cuban sports from a young age.
“I remember that our father used to wake us both up at around three in the morning to watch some Olympic competition or a sport that was on television. We started playing basketball until the age of 15, but then we couldn’t move beyond the junior category, so we decided to switch to handball,” Dianny explained.
The Gonzalez sisters remember their greatest achievement to date when they won the gold medal at the 2023 Central American Games held in San Salvador. When they received the medal, Dianny approached her sister and told her that they were not going to stop.
“Now we can’t relax; we have to train harder in preparation for what’s coming,” said the younger of the two sisters, Dianny, in reference to Santiago 2023.
Dianny joined the national team first, which excited her sister and motivated her to achieve the same goal. They say they supported each other, and now they have the opportunity to represent their province, their country, and most importantly, their family.
“We attended boarding schools, and we only saw each other for a little while on Sundays. When we arrived in Havana, our family tried to come and see us, but our studies and training kept us apart,” said the older of the two sisters. One of the most frequent problems for any athlete is the constant separation from their homeland, and it’s no different for the Gonzalez sisters, who have hardly seen their family since the age of 13.
They are very attached to their family, despite not having such a close physical bond. Messages, calls, and even a simple “hello” were enough to strengthen a relationship that, while separated by distance, is maintained and nurtured from the heart during the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
