Agustina Gorzelany and the Weight of Meaning

There is a soldier’s resolve in Agustina Gorzelany’s game. The Argentine defender’s dragflicks are driven by belief as much as technique. With every penalty corner, you can almost gauge the urgency of someone who understands what it means to stand one’s ground.

In earlier interviews, she has spoken about fighting for every ball as if it were the last—words that perhaps echo the mental makeup of a man who was once sent to the battlefield, uncertain of whether he would return to be with his family ever again.

In 1982, within three months of joining the military service, Agustina’s father, Alejandro, just 18, was sent into combat as part of the 101st Air Defense Group from Ciudadela during the Falklands War—fought between Argentina and the United Kingdom over two British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

“Uff, goosebumps  (gestures towards her arm)! My dad is a hero in Argentina. They went into the war without knowing what was to befall. They were so young when they went to fight for our country. I have no words. Every time I speak about my dad, I feel so proud. My eyes well up. I love him,” an emotional Agustina tells  Sportstar.

The summer of 2017, the year she received her maiden senior national team call-up, changed Agustina as a person. On a Sunday, as the Gorzelanys—Alejandro, his wife, Débora, and children Agustina and Juan Pablo—were enjoying a quiet evening, a  Facebook message popped up on Alejandro’s screen. It was from one Edward Goodall in Plymouth, saying: ‘I have your combat helmet, the one you left on the islands.’ This text was followed by a few photos, and surprisingly, still legible after 35 years, were two handwritten words on the inner lining of the helmet that read ‘GORZELANY ALEJANDRO.’

While that was evidence enough for Alejandro to fold into himself, the moment too heavy to carry, Agustina was deeply moved by something else when her parents finally made the trip to England in October 2018 after a lot of deliberations.

Goodall, who happened to have worked as an engineer for a helicopter company contracted by the Royal Navy during the war, was happy to hand the prized souvenir over to Alejandro. He had supposedly bought the helmet at an auction.

Upon careful examination, Agustina found the number ‘3’ inscribed on her father’s helmet—the same number she wore while playing for the Las Leonas. She loves to believe it wasn’t a mere coincidence. It was a legacy, one that Agustina chose to channel onto the turf. Different arenas, different stakes, but the same spirit.

Inspired by the legendary Noel Barrionuevo, Agustina decided to chart her own path. “I was inspired by how she used to (drag)flick and lead the team to victory. I wanted to be like her,” Agustina says.

Today, the 29-year-old is a Las Leonas mainstay herself; like Noel, she is a dragflicking exponent. Not just that, in the last two editions of the Olympics in Tokyo and Paris, she has been the highest goalscorer for her side with 10 against her name. Needless to say, she has become a crowd favourite back home.

“When we play in our country, a lot of people come to support us. When we finish games, they are all over us, asking for pictures, for our shirts, or for something we could sign. I think that is super nice. It shows the affection and support they have for us.”

About 16,000 kilometres away from home, she hasn’t missed that feeling in Ranchi while playing for the Shrachi Bengal Tigers in the ongoing Hockey India League (HIL). She says: “I have been constantly speaking about the warmth and kindness of the people in India. This is my first time here, but everyone is so welcoming. We celebrated our festive days—Christmas and New Year’s Eve—here, and it was totally different from what we are used to. There we are with family, waiting until midnight to open our presents. Although really different, I enjoyed it here… meeting you people was super nice.”

It was perhaps her exploits at the Summer Games that fetched her the highest bid in the HIL auctions—a whopping INR 42 lakh (approximately USD 50,000). “In one way, it does [talks about the additional pressure of a hefty price tag]. But on the other hand, it makes you feel good as a player. I have worked hard to be in the place I am. It is incredible that they treat you that way. I try not to think about it too much. During the matches, I am completely focussed. I train my mind to get away from that pressure completely.” And sure enough, Agustina has repaid the faith by becoming the current holder of the Neon Socks, a rolling memento awarded to the highest goalscorer of the season. She has sounded the boards four times as of writing.

Agustina’s hockey journey started at home, retracing her mother’s footsteps. It is revealed that Débora was no mug with the stick, having played club-level hockey in Argentina. Little did she know, her daughter would not only end up emulating her but also go on to take a step further.

“I started playing hockey because of my mum. When I was a young girl, she ran over the same steps she did for herself—she took me to play hockey. She has supported me all these years. My younger brother used to be a sportsperson as well. He used to play rugby, but he stopped to focus on his studies,” Agustina says.

Agustina first wore the country’s colours during the Junior World Cup in 2016, a tournament that saw the Fillies win gold after defeating the Netherlands 4-2 in the final. In fact, it was Agustina who hammered in the fourth goal of the summit clash to seal the  Jong Oranje Dames’ fate.

It took her only a year thereafter to graduate to the senior national side, where she didn’t have to wait long for a gold medal. At the 2017 Pan American Cup, she got to watch her idol Noel thrash opponents from close quarters. The sensational defender was the joint highest goalscorer in the tournament with five to her name. Although she didn’t get on the scoresheet, it had been a learning curve for Agustina. And just when she thought there was no looking back thereon, 2018 came bearing bad news.

She says, “In 2018, I continued training with the national team. But I wasn’t selected for the World Cup. It was then that I hit a low point. But that’s how things are when you are part of the national setup. Sometimes, you are chosen, and sometimes you aren’t. I felt down. I thought I just needed to get some time to myself. I had to think about my place in the sport I had dedicated my life to.

“It gave me the mindset to restart again. It was a difficult moment. Bad things kept coming to my head, but then I reminded myself who I was and where I was. It was a wise decision to step out and realise what I was really feeling and understand what I needed. Hockey is my passion, and I needed to enjoy it. I started getting mental coaching as well. It really helped me deal with the bad thoughts. It also helped me deal with on-field pressure. I am very thankful because I was called again to be on the national team. And I am grateful for the moment because it taught me a lot of things.”

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Eight years later, Agustina is one of the most sought-after names on the international hockey circuit. So, it is only natural that her Indian teammates at Shrachi Bengal keep nudging her for tips and tricks. “I feel like a mentor here. I am okay with being approached by the girls if they need any sort of advice, whenever they want and regarding whatever they need to know. But I don’t want to feel that old, you know?  (laughs) I am so happy with the young girls here. They are nice and very funny,” says Agustina, who says she often dances her heart out to Argentine chartbusters with her roommate and compatriot Victoria Manuele ahead of crucial matches because ‘we need forget a little bit about the game sometimes.’

The 29-year-old may be enjoying her time here in India, but she is aware that there might be occasions in the near future when many of these friendly faces would be firing from the opposite end when the battle lines are drawn.

“What I have come to realise is that individually, the Indian girls are super good. They are superfast and very skilful. The only way we differ is maybe in playing the way our coaches tell us to do it. The Indian girls are more aggressive; they seem to like rushing forward and winning duels. I don’t know much about the Indian way of hockey, but I do know that they have improved a lot. Anytime we face India, in the Pro League or other important tournaments, they are a strong opponent. It is super tough to play against them. I heard they are getting a new coach (Sjoerd Marijne), one who they had played under before and obtained good results with. I hope they have a very good 2026,” Agustina signs off with a dry smile.

There’s more to Agustina than mere performance or statistics. Some of it lives in meaning.

Published on Jan 06, 2026