Paris — Gonzalo Peillat stands to become just the sixth Olympian in history to win a gold medal for ‘distinctly different nations’ should Germany topple the Netherlands in Thursday’s men’s final.
This terminology is important due to the various changes in nation states over the years across summer and winter Olympic Games.
The previous five Olympians to win gold competing with different nations:
Dan Carroll – Rugby Union (Australasia and USA) (1908 and 1912)
Kakhi Kakhiashvili – Weightlifting (Georgian-Greek) (1992-2000)
Armen Nazaryan – Wrestling (Armenia and Bulgaria) (1996, 2000)
Viktor An – Short Track (Korea and Russia (2006 and 2014)
Kaillie Humphries – Bobsleigh (Canada and USA) (2010 and 2022)
Thus, Peillat could become the first summer Olympian in the modern era to win gold with two nations, as Germany look to add to their epic 2023 world title success.
Peillat acquired German citizenship in 2022 after falling out with Argentinian coach German Orozco after the 2018 World Cup in India – his last major match came when England beat Los Leones to reach the semi-finals – and had been in the international wilderness since early 2019.
The defender and dragflicker had played for Mannheimer HC in the Bundesliga for six years and gained his German passport in February 2022. Less than a year later, he told The Hockey Paper that “it was a different culture with Germany”.
In Paris, he has spoken on the reasons for leaving the country of his birth.
“Argentina is a very football-oriented country. You are a betrayer, a ‘son-of-a-bitch’. It’s black or white,” he told reporters here.
“There is a lot of talk on social media, and even here at the stadium. Our staff, even the FIH, argued with people in the stands that were shouting all day.
“I knew it was going to be like that. For me, it’s a closed chapter. When I spoke about it, I did it with my heart open, and said the reasons. I didn’t expect people to support me or criticise me, because I knew it was going to be like that. It will always be like that, with 50% of people in my favour and 50% against.”
Despite the historic 2016 success in Rio, the Argentina team “broke up”, with Peillat adding that “some players wanted to accommodate themselves to be in a team, and have privileges. I never wanted to have privileges. If I wanted to, I would have got them. I’m not arrogant, but who would have kicked me out of the team at that time?”
He added: “Is it (resigning) sad? Yes, it is sad. Did it hurt at that time? It broke my heart. We were 10 players that (said), ‘Yes, we are going to change it.’ And then, I was alone. It is sad.”
While gold medal winning nations still have WhatsApp groups and anniversary get togethers, it is not the same with Peillat.
“With the Olympic champions, we can’t sit (around) a table. That says a lot. Agustin Mazzilli, a team leader, can’t speak to me. That says everything.”
German goalkeeper Danneburg, who has been on searing form in Paris, said ahead of the Dutch final that Peillat “is the best penalty corner man in the world, we have a big weapon there.”
Teeing up the final showdown, he also believed that Germany had the edge – a repeat of the London 2012 final.
He added: “The Dutch players need a very good day to score four goals against us. So I think we have a mountain, and they will have big problems to climb us.”
