SUCCI Maria Belen

General
NO PLANS TO RETIRE
She made her debut for Argentina in 2007 and will be age 35 at the time of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. In 2020 she said she is not considering retiring anytime soon, and is still motivated by the disappointment of Argentina's quarterfinal loss to the Netherlands at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "Losing to the Netherlands [in 2016], I left the field crying. I didn't know whether to continue playing or not. But then I said, 'I'm not going to retire like this.' This is a permanent challenge and it makes you want it even more. Until I see the team up there at the top again, I think it's going to be hard to leave. The truth is that I don't plan on retiring anytime soon. It's a decision that will come when I am ready or that the national coach will make. I wake up every morning and want to show the best version of myself and give everything to the national team. The day I'm not at the level of performance required by the national team will be my last day." (infobae.com, 16 Feb 2020; clarin.com, 27 Oct 2019)

FAMILY LIFE
She took a break from the national team in 2012 to give birth to her son, and as a result missed the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In 2020 she said that becoming a mother had been a challenge alongside being a member of the national team. "Without a doubt after becoming a mother my life changed. The tiredness is greater because a lot of times the body doesn't recover, you don't sleep well and during the day your agenda is full of activities. But, I think if you know how to be professional and maintain order, it can be done. That doesn't change the fact that I feel tired, but the passion and love I feel for what I do is stronger." (infobae.com, 16 Feb 2020; dxtv.gob.ar, 12 Dec 2015; radiosudamericana.com, 04 May 2012; infobae.com,16 Feb 2020)

HOCKEY IN ARGENTINA
She is a physical education teacher at high school, and believes the women's national team has had a positive influence on the nation's young girls. "Since the [national team] was formed and with all they have achieved over the years, it has made hockey one of the most important sports for women. I teach physical education and I think children need to do more physical activity and spend less time indoors. I think it's healthier for them to play sports, and the success of the national team has generated a link between sport and good values, and it makes me happy to see hockey is one of the first sports for women in Argentina. It used to be a sport of the elite, but today it is played everywhere, in municipal clubs, in villages. Today, hockey belongs to all social classes." (ole.com.ar, 01 Nov 2019)