The dream moment that the Argentine sevens team is going through suddenly suffered in an unexpected shock that shakes the foundations that it cost so much to forge. The injury of Pumas 7s: "Many things happened"”>Marcos Monetatheir best player and one of the stars of the discipline worldwide, suffered in the Seven de Hong Kong an injury that sidelined him from the competition and puts his continuity on the World Tour in check, where the Pumas 7s They aspire to fight for the title of champion of the season, and even sow doubts regarding their participation in the Olympic Games of France 2024, the team’s biggest goal.
Moneta suffered fibula fracture of the right leg, as determined by studies carried out on the first day of action of the most traditional and busiest tournament on the annual calendar. Upon return to Argentina, more in-depth studies will be carried out to know the true degree of the injury, the recovery process and The inactivity time.
For the Pumas 7s it is a significant loss, which overshadows his status as a candidate. Although the team that leads Santiago Gomez Cora It has a game system that does not rely on individuality and a large squad with the capacity to change. Moneta is one of those players who appear very occasionally with the ability to make a difference on his own, to create something where he did not before. there was nothing.
The injury occurred in the first action of Pumas 7s’ first match at the Hong Kong Sevens, against the United States. Moneta collided with her partner and friend Rodrigo Isgrowho while tackling an opponent fell on Moneta’s right leg and caused a twist at the ankle.
After reaching four consecutive finals and winning three of them (in addition to finishing fifth in Los Angeles), Argentina widely leads the general table of the 2023/24 World Tour and has already secured a place among the best eight that will fight for the title. title in the Madrid Sevens, which will be played from May 31 to June 2 at the Civitas Metropolitano Stadium. Can Moneta reach that stage?
“What is observed in the television images is that the foot deviates outwards, so what may have happened is that the player’s weight falls on the fibula, causing the fracture with the impact, or because the ankle reverses and opens.” the syndesmosis and it breaks at the top,” he explains Iván Ayerzatraumatologist and sports doctor who works with the Newman club, consulted by THE NATION. “If it were just the fracture, recovery could take between six and eight weeks, so it is possible that he will arrive in Madrid. However, this type of sprain, unlike 90% of ankle sprains in which the foot gives way inward, can also lead to a ligament injury. If there was a rupture of the syndesmosis membrane, which joins the tibia to the fibula, the recovery would be longer. In any case, I don’t think I will have any problems getting to Paris 2024.”
The sevens competition at the Olympic Games will be played between July 24 and 30 at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, on the outskirts of the French capital. That is, within three months and three weeks. Even if the forecasts were the most pessimistic, considering Moneta’s youth (24 years) and her physical gifts, it is to be expected that she will arrive at the big event.
Regardless of the times, the fact of losing Moneta for the next tournaments means a hard blow for the Pumas 7s, just at a time when they had taken a step back in the excellent performance they had shown at the end of last season and at the beginning of this one. The team comes from being fifth in Los Angeles and did not start well in Hong Kong, with losses to the United States and New Zealand. At the end of their participation in Hong Kong, the Pumas 7s return to Argentina to prepare for the Singapore Sevens at the beginning of May, the last one before going to Madrid.
Moneta’s loss is also added to that of the captain Santiago Alvarez, who is in Buenos Aires recovering from an acromioclavicular fracture suffered in Los Angeles, although he is expected to be back for the next stage.
Suddenly, some clouds appear in the sky of a team that only saw the clear sky. Adversity has been an intrinsic part in the forging of the Pumas 7s. One more isn’t going to make them back down.