Panamerican A wrapped motorcycle and a happy neighborhood: the intimate home of Sánchez sisters in Córdoba

CORDOBA.- The hug was endless. Rosa and her daughters,
leonela and
Dayana Sánchez. And the three with Virgilio "Pato" Aráuz, the coach and "adoptive father" of the winners of the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the boxing of the
Pan American Games who are arguing in Lima. Not even the joy of their triumphs kept them in Peru, they wanted to return "quickly" to meet their mother, they wanted to party with those who were always at his side. Neighborhood neighbors greeted them with posters, songs and horns; they walked about ten blocks from the neighborhood entrance to their house.

At age 11 they landed in
Cordoba and a little later, they arrived at Juan Pablo II (one of the "social" quarters of Córdoba) where, under the entrance arch, their mother and their friends were waiting for them. Rosa has been sleeping for several nights. first worry for Leonela and, when she had already been crowned, for Dayana. "I did not want them to box, I did not want to suffer anymore," he says.
THE NATION. The reference is at the time when her ex-husband and father of girls went up in the ring.

He has not lived with them for years. very bad weather has pbaded not only material deprivation, but also domestic violence. The two are very close to her mother and her other sister, Tania, 20, who dreams of becoming a singer. Before the house where they were received and celebrated, they lived in usurped properties, with sheets, no beds, no water, no light. However, the celebration was serene without the smell of revenge; pure joy, distribution of photos and hugs.

The two sisters train at the Rafael Núñez Sports Development Center (under the authority of the Córdoba Sports Agency) in the Barrio General Bustos. They arrive at 7:45 every day by bus, they are 90 minutes of weight; they bathe, rest a moment and from noon, it is the turn of the technical part. Around 4 pm, they finish.

They train from morning until the end of the afternoon. After the Games, a hairdressing clbad and a high school are waiting for you

"I met them about ten years ago, they lived near the gym, they started coming and some people thought they were not looking well," Arauz said. "I put them in order, and they got excited and we started quality, for their discipline, I dreamed that the medal could be awarded but you must not forget that you must always be lucky too."

Both women form the women's boxing team of Argentina. They traveled to some fifteen countries and "earned money that allowed them to improve everything". The accommodations were delivered by the Córdoba Department of Social Development thanks to the efforts of his coach: he still remembers that the move was "simple because they had almost nothing, we went for a little bit of everything" .

They love Sabroso's quartet music, but they are so attached to their training program that in the course of a year they have only turned to a dance. A few months ago, Leonela "made one" (note Aráuz): he bought a motorcycle. He is wrapped in nylon at the bottom of the house; when I can "there will be a car".

Leonela says that last night, when her sister was lost, she cried "everything". Forty minutes later, they left for the airport. "All right, we slept in the plane," Dayana repeats while smiling. The wall where the wastebasket rests served as a base for climbing and welcome to those who waited for them. "Thank you" was the most repeated word, followed by "we share".

In addition to the celebrations, the commitments they have already made await them. Leonela owes six secondary things. "We spoke to the school principal and we were coming back and getting ready," recalls the coach. Dayana is three months after finishing a hairdressing clbad. "Study both, in that there is no arrangement," says Arauz.

"Everything hurts me, I suffer a lot when they fight," says Mom. "Dayana was the first to say that she wanted to box and Leonela came back, we could no longer say no.I suffer from all fights, the only ones who do not do it I accompany you when you travel . "

Leonela, "La Monita" (from Gatica), also hugged closely with Héctor "Pajarito" Sarmiento, his partner, Argentine and Latin American super light champion and his dog Willy – one of three in the house with four cats -; the animal (which should weigh only five kilos less than 56 people) jumps and organizes parties. A choripaneada is the lunch of the champions.