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Magdalena Aicega

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Magdalena Aicega
Aicega in 2008
Personal information
Full name María Magdalena Aicega
Born (1973-11-01) 1 November 1973 (age 51)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Playing position Defender
Senior career
Years Team
1987–2019 Belgrano A.C.
2023 Belgrano A.C.
National team
Years Team Caps Goals
1993–2008 Argentina
Coaching career
2019–23 Belgrano A.C.
Magdalena Aicega
Medal record
Women's field hockey
Representing  Argentina
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney Team
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens Team
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Team
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2002 Perth Team
Silver medal – second place 1994 Dublin Team
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Madrid Team
Champions Trophy
Gold medal – first place 2001 Amstelveen Team
Gold medal – first place 2008 Mönchengladbach Team
Silver medal – second place 2002 Macau Team
Silver medal – second place 2007 Quilmes Team
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Rosario Team
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1995 Mar del Plata Team
Gold medal – first place 1999 Winnipeg Team
Gold medal – first place 2003 Santo Domingo Team
Gold medal – first place 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team
Pan American Cup
Gold medal – first place 2001 Kingston Team

María Magdalena Aicega Amicarelli (born 1 November 1973) is an Argentine retired field hockey, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China with the Argentina national team.

Aicega, who played as a central defender, is regarded as one of the most notable players in the history of Las Leonas,[1][2][3] for whom she played for more than 15 years.[4]

Overview

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Aicega started her career in Belgrano Athletic at 7 years old, and debuting with the senior squad seven years later. At 16, Aicega played her first match for the Argentina national team.[5]

Aicega won the 2002 World Cup, two Champions Trophy, four gold medals at the Pan American Games and the Pan American Cup in 2001. Nicknamed Magui, she first represented her native country at the Junior World Cup in 1993 in Barcelona, Spain, where Argentina won the gold. The following year the penalty corner hitter played for the senior team, finishing second at the World Cup in Dublin, Ireland. Aicega retired from the national team in 2008.[4]

Aicega was awarded with the Silver Olimpia Award, the most prestigious local prize awarded by Argentina's Sports Journalists Association, in 1998 and 2003. She was also nominated for the FIH's Best Player of the Year in 1999, won by Australia's Alyson Annan. Aicega was also awarded with the Premio Konex of Argentina in 2000.[6]

After 33 years playing for Belgrano, in 2019 Aicega retired from hockey. She later became coach of the Belgrano's youth divisions.[5] Nevertheless in August 2023, Aicega (who was 49 years old by then) announced she would return to play for Belgrano Athletic the "Torneo Reubicación", a promotion and relegation tournament.[1][7][2] Belgrano was finally relegated to the second division along with San Martín.[8]

Other work

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After her retirement from hockey, Aicega (who has a degree in nutrition) has worked as a sports commentator (covering hockey and then football matches for TNT Argentina).[9][10] She had also a brief tenre as director of ENARD (acronym of "Ente Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo") in 2017.[11]

References

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Media related to Magdalena Aicega at Wikimedia Commons