Marc Miralles: “We all dream of winning Olympic gold, since we started playing hockey when we were kids”

Nervous before the Game?

Very strange. Everyone asks if I’m nervous or if we’re nervous, and I say no. Now there is more excitement, expectation and desire for them to come.

How did you prepare for the Games?

It’s been a great preparation because everyone is so happy, we’ve had training blocks for a long time to say let’s push everyone.

Can it be said that they are doing well in the Olympic event?

Yes, I don’t remember being better as a team at the time, in terms of speed of play, connection; everyone feels like a team. You see that everything works very well, that things turn out the way you prepare them. It is very easy to feel that we are doing good preparation. Everything went well, hope to see this work later.

A year ago you signed for Dutch side Bloemendaal, has playing in the Netherlands given you a different perspective?

As for the game, it gave me a lot. It’s not about one kind of sport, but the way of understanding, coming and going, individual method, exploiting the talent of each person… It gave me a lot in this game and this year in the Netherlands it turned out great. for me it’s great to see how they understand sport, the Olympic Games and being a professional athlete. It’s not that different, but they place a very special value on everything that comes with dedicating yourself to elite sport, discipline, and teamwork.

But, if you get the chance, what would you like to apply from Dutch field hockey to Spanish?

I don’t know if we would talk about professionalizing it more here, if not about the way of understanding it, almost at the level of the athlete or the athlete’s environment, in how they understand the way to approach the sport, how to rest , eat, train and even how to talk to journalists. It’s all about upping the ante a little bit and saying I’m an athlete to all intents and purposes.

Did playing for Bloemendaal help you evaluate your work in Spain?

Yes, I talked a lot with Max (Caldas, the coach). What I tried was to ‘steal’ all the knowledge I could from there and put things back together. I robbed shamelessly (smiles).

As you said, do you want to be a coach in the future?

I would say no, but yes, as a kid, when you train kids, it’s so fun to see if a kid improves, and you coach and teach them. Sports related for sure, but I don’t know if the position will be coach.

And what can we expect from the ‘Redsticks’ at the Paris Games? Can you aim for a medal?

It’s hard, but not because we don’t have the ability to do it. You have to beat very good teams and talk about the ranking we are not the favourites. I am confident that we will have a very good group stage, not because of the results and positions, but because of the sensations it gives us; that you go to the games and compete well, that you beat weaker rivals and for solvency, that you compete well against the best. You have to have a good group stage, come out classified for the quarterfinals with a good feeling, no matter who you meet, you can do things, and from here you have to make it a point to get over the wall of the quarterfinals , which is always the hardest.

The first goal is to improve on the 8th place of the previous Games, right?

It’s very difficult to put a headline on what should be the goal. Based on the feelings of the team, you see yourself as capable of anything. Max (Caldas) made the distinction one day, which I really liked, that the goal was to win every game and not all. We don’t mark what will be success or failure, what we have is that we all dream of winning gold. We seek to compete in every match to the best of our knowledge and ability, giving our best and letting the matches be satisfying, regardless of the outcome. Ever since we qualified we’ve all dreamed of medals, ever since we started playing hockey and watching the Games on TV.

Are they forcing themselves?

It’s not pressure, it’s desire, wanting to compete in important games.

If you could, what other sports would you like to see at the Games?

I would love to talk to any athlete. It will be special to watch a tennis match, but also beach volleyball, handball, water polo.

Imagine being allowed to compete in another Olympic sport in Paris, which would you prefer?

I would choose water polo because my dad did it, but I’m terrible at it. I would say tennis or golf because I like to play them, but I’ll stick with field hockey.

Is being the captain of the Spanish team more pride or pressure?

A little piece of everything. It’s pride and pressure, but you don’t need to give it more drama. You have to have a captain and I try to have a positive impact on the team, but if you are chosen captain it is because you have an impact on the team and you have to know how to take advantage of it to get the most out of it. of each person and of the group.

What will be the DNA of ‘Redsticks’?

We have very talented people. We tried to remove the word young because it is an easy argument when things are not good, but the average age is very young. We have very committed people. You have the capacity to sacrifice for the team and I can say it is very important. Overall, the level of connectivity is very high. It’s very cliché to say that we are a united team, but I think it is like this and then transferred to the field.