VILLAMAYOR Sergio

General
TRAINING IN HUNGARY
He trained in Honved in Budapest, Hungary ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games, and remained there after the Games were postponed to 2021, while continuing to serve as a non-commissioned officer [NCO] in Argentina's armed forces. His wife is Hungarian. "Here in Budapest I can prepare without many restrictions. As the country was not affected much by COVID-19, the quarantine is not as strict as in Argentina. Clubs are closed to the public, but not for athletes who are classified or who have a chance to qualify for the Olympics, so we can train. It is one of the countries with the most medals in modern pentathlon in the Olympic Games and World Cup series. Except the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, I saw that Hungarians always made the podium during my sporting career. This is why I came here." (pluralnoticias.ar, 08 Oct 2020; pagina12.com.ar, 23 May 2020; tumunicipioaldia.com.ar, 24 Mar 2020; laprensa.com.ar, 29 Jul 2020)

FAMILY BOOST
He considered quitting the sport in 2014 but the birth of his eldest daughter, Panna, inspired him to continue. "2014 was a very difficult year due to the uncertainty generated by fatherhood. I even felt that I would have to leave the modern pentathlon scene. But those thoughts ended when Panna was born. I saw her smile and every negative thing disappeared, and it was like a new world was opened for me. I got a tattoo of a photo of us, in which I am holding her hand as she is learning how to walk, but in reality she is the one who has supported me since she was born. I didn't know whether I was going to continue my sporting career, but along with my wife, she ended up being my walking stick." (pagina12.com.ar, 23 May 2020; rgentinadorada.com.ar, 06 Nov 2020)

FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS
He joined Argentina's armed forces to follow in the footsteps of his father, who served in the special operations unit 601 Commando Company. He graduated from the Army NCO School 'Sargento Cabral' [ESESC] in 2008. His middle name, Ali, comes from the Argentinian colonel Mohamed Ali Seineldia, who was a friend of his father. "My father did not want me to enter the army, because he wanted me to study and have a degree. I am very proud of everything my father did." (elintransigente.com, 15 Aug 2019; laprensa.com.ar, 29 Jul 2020; pagina12.com.ar, 23 May 2020)

He became the first Argentinean modern pentahthlete in 68 years to win an individual medal at the Pan American Games, when he claimed bronze at the 2019 edition in Lima, Peru. (clarin.com, 28 Jul 2019; coarg.org.ar, 29 Jul 2019; SportsDeskOnline, 29 Jul 2019)