Argentina's Gastón Revol wants to keep making history with his homeland as he looks ahead to next weekend's inaugural HSBC SVNS Grand Final in Madrid.
Revol has enjoyed a dream season so far with Argentina, helping his nation capture its first-ever SVNS World Series title, including titles in Cape Town, Perth and Vancouver, as well as silver in Dubai.
And with Los Pumas set to compete in the inaugural Grand Final in the Spanish capital in just a few days, the veteran Argentinian is determined not to rest on any laurels and continue to make history with his homeland.
He said: ‘‘We began really well with those tournaments, apart from the one in Dubai, we won the gold medal in three consecutive tournaments, something that in our time we would have never thought about.
📍One last stop! 🔥
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) May 29, 2024
The captains are all set for a Grand Final like no other at #HSBCSVNSMAD! 🇪🇸#HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/UO8ttecty0
‘It was a historic season which we are really proud of and of course, we are content with what we have done so far, but we are thinking of the future and the coming tournament in Madrid so we are going to give it our all.
‘‘Winning the league was spectacular. It was historic for our rugby and our country but like we always say we want to go further.
‘‘We are already preparing ourselves for Madrid, we want to keep being competitive and more than anything continue achieving our goals through the game, leading us to good results and to keep fighting at the top like we have been doing of late.
‘‘It's a new beginning for us and now we just have to focus on the next tournament, knowing that each game can be the last, prepare for each game and plan in a way that benefits us and our strengths.’’
Revol, 37, made his debut for Argentina Sevens way back in 2009, and the veteran was ever-present as his country transformed into one of the sport's premier sides.
With their 2024 League win, Los Pumas joined New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa, Australia and Samoa as the only teams to win the competition since its inception in 1999.
The inaugural HSBC SVNS Grand Final takes place in Madrid from 31st May to 2nd June, and will see Argentina face off against Australia, France and Great Britain in Pool A, while league runners-up Ireland will clash with New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa in Pool B.
Throwback to Argentina's legendary 3️⃣-peat! 🔥
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) May 29, 2024
Will @lospumas7arg make it a League and Grand Final double in Madrid? 🤯#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSMAD pic.twitter.com/XuFyNBJXeS
The Paris Olympics take place just a month after the Grand Final, and three years after Argentina left left Tokyo 2020 with a bronze medal.
And with the Grand Final and the Olympics rapidly approaching, Revol hopes that Argentina’s long-term approach will continue to pay off.
He added: ‘‘It was a long process years in the making. At least eight years in which we all developed and learnt, not only the players but also our staff.
‘‘We all had to improve and build up little by little and create a base for all the new players that we incorporated along the way and their strengths.
‘‘It was a process that began a long time ago and it was done with all the new players.
‘‘The Olympic Games are another of the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year, and we talked about creating a team to reach that last event at our best.
‘‘Along the way we gave a great performance, but we also know that sevens changes a lot, and we can't take it easy at any moment.
‘‘Like with any other tournament, the Olympic Games will be competitive from the very first game and we will have to work a lot to have good results.
‘‘Hopefully that'll be the case.’’
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