From the moment the athletes marched into the Olympic Stadium wearing blue and white and waving flags excitedly, to now, just nine days later, Argentina has been well represented. Despite having only one medal, the athletes have competed with ferocity and heart, holding their heads high in the glory of personal bests, even in the despair of Olympic defeat.

Back here in Argentina it’s been an exiting week as individual events and team sports have brought out a nationalist in everyone. But for all those that couldn’t catch the events because of work, here’s an inside scoop on how Argentina has performed so far and what to expect in the final week of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

A Medal at Last

After nine days, almost 50 events, and numerous Olympics athletes, Argentina finally earned it’s first London 2012 Olympic medal.

Juan Martin Del Potro fought his way onto the podium after defeating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the bronze medal game on 5th August in men’s singles tennis.

“I know everybody in Argentina was following this match, trying to give me the power to play my best tennis. I really appreciated that. I think this is a gift for all our country,” said the 23-year-old in an interview with ESPN.

“I’m the happiest man in the world at this moment. After a really sad day two days ago [losing the semi final to Roger Federer], it’s not easy to recover and to play these kinds of matches. But I had energy in my body, in my heart, and that helped me face this big challenge.”

Del Potro defeated Djokovic in two sets 7-5 and 6-4 surprising many fans, sports analysts and even Federer himself.

“I don’t think many were favouring [Del Potro] to win that match. That was a great, great effort,” said Federer. Federer lost the gold medal match and settled for silver after losing to Great Britain’s Andy Murray.

With the bronze, Argentina has finally got on the medalboard.

Looking Back

One of the most encouraging moments of the past week was Lauro German’s personal best in the men’s shot put on 3rd August. No, he didn’t medal, in fact not even close, but when he threw his personal best for all the world knew he had won gold. His face broke into a smile as he pumped his fists into the air again and again after his 20.84ft throw.

The throw landed him in sixth place almost exactly a foot behind the leader Tomasz Majewski of Poland. But as he blew a kiss into the TV, his happiness and pride obvious, it couldn’t help but make you smile. Here was an athlete who, despite not medaling, was immensely proud of his achievement and so was everyone else.

Another bright moment for Argentina was when Federico Molinari secured his spot in the men’s rings final, a first for an Argentine gymnast.

“I never dreamed I’d get here. I just wanted to be an Olympian and now I’ve gotten through to a final stage, it’s incredible. I remember when I was little I would watch the Olympics on VHS, and now I’m here,” said Molinari to reporters.

The 28-year-old gymnast received a 15.333 to place him in seventh place. He didn’t end up with a medal at the final earlier today, but leaves satisfied with a great achievement.

Unfortunately, there was also quite a bit of disappointment in the first week as well as success.

The women’s beach volleyball team was unable to make it through to the knock out phase after losing all three of their games, ending in last place behind the USA, Spain, and the Netherlands.

Medal hopeful Paula Pareto is also going home empty handed after being defeated in the quarterfinals of women’s 48kg Judo by Japan’s Tomoko Fukimi.

Argentine table tennis player Liu Song was unfortunately beat in the second round by Slovenia’s Bojan Tokic, the loss meant his early elimination from the Olympic tournament.

Finally, sailing medal hopeful Julio Alsogaray failed to qualify for the medal race of men’s laser after finishing just outside the top ten athletes. Alsogaray finished in 11th place meaning he missed the Olympic finals by one spot.

The men’s handball also just fell short in a do-or-die game against Tunisia earlier today, losing 25-23 in a thrilling encounter.

Despite some disappointment, Argentina still has some very exciting team sports to look forward to in the upcoming week.

Looking Forward

The women’s field hockey team is still topping pool B at London 2012. ‘Las Leonas’ currently sit in first place with three wins and one loss for a total of nine points.

The women started the tournament by pulverising South Africa 7-1 but then failed to avenge their Pan-American championship game loss against the United States. The US beat the women 1-0. Argentina however, bounced back and defeated New Zealand 2-1 and Germnay 3-1. With a win against Australia today at 5:15 pm (BST-4hs) the women will cinch first place and play the third place team in pool A in the first game of the knock out stage. Las Leonas are still very much in the running for the gold medal.

Sebastian Crismanich, one of Argentina’s strongest golden promises still has yet to compete in the 80 kg category of Taekwondo.

He qualified by defeating the two-time Olympic champion Steven Lopez. Lopez is a five-time world champion and has won Olympic gold in 2000 and 2004, with a bronze in Beijing in 2008. Crismanich also grabbed the gold medal at the Pan-Am Games in Mexico in 2011 and is a big medal contender in London. He takes to the mat on 10th August.

The men’s basketball team is also proving to be a medal threat again this year. The Beijing bronze medalists sit in second place of group A with three wins and one loss. The men defeated Lithuania, Tunisia, and Nigeria but fell to the giants from France. Unfortunately, Argentina’s biggest game is next as they take on the undefeated and golden favourite, team USA. With a loss Argentina will most likely drop to third place and be forced to play the winner of group B, which is usually the strongest team of the group. Although a win is not impossible, the men will be very hard pressed to beat the US team of NBA superstars today at 6:15 pm.

Finally, the Argentine men’s volleyball team is on their way to qualifying for the knock out round of London 2012.

Right now the men sit in fourth place with two wins and two losses; the top four teams qualify. They defeated both Australia and Bulgaria, who was undefeated until they met Argentina, but lost to Italy and Poland. With a win against Great Britain today (match starts 12:45pm, BST-4), the men can punch their ticket to the next round.

The win against Bulgaria not only acted as a team confidence builder but also proved that the Argentines aren’t going anywhere and can play with the best.

In front of a packed stadium at Wimbledon in London, England, Argentine tennis player, Juan Martin Del Potro, saw his dreams of Olympic gold come crashing down around him.

“When you lose a game like this it is hard to think of good things. I can hardly speak, my mind is blank. This was an incredible game, one of the most important against Federer and I lost,” said Del Potro.

In one of the best tennis matches, and longest, ever played at the Olympic Games, Del Potro and the world’s current number one tennis player, Roger Federer, battled it out for more than four hours. But in the third set after 36 games Del Potro was defeated after he dumped a backhand into the net.

“It’s not an easy situation. Someone has to win these games and today it was his turn,” said Del Potro.

The match was a treat for sports enthusiasts around the world, offering some of the best-played tennis to ever be seen at the Olympic Games.

The opening game of the first set saw 23 shots exchanged. Del Potro had the edge for the rest of the first set, reaching the net more often and winning the majority of baseline rallies. The 6’6 tennis player returned explosive forehands again and again that left Federer scrambling. He won it 6-3.

The second also started off in Del Potro’s favour when Federer blew an easy volley, misplayed an overhead, and threw away a 40-love lead with the games at 4 a piece.

“I was very tense at certain times,” said Federer, “I was seeing myself as a loser many times during the match.”

However, he wasn’t going down that easily, and although slowly, he eventually picked up his level of play to win the set 7-6.

Then came the never-ending final set, which lasted for a total of 163 minutes.

Del Potro took the first game and kept Federer frustrated with back-to-back rallies won by shots that clipped the net cord, erasing a break point. In the 29th game Del Potro managed to come back to win the game with five consecutive points after being down 0-40. However, in the 35th game Del Potro made three unforced errors and lost the serve. Eight points later it was all over.

“I felt for him,” said Federer, “I’ve been there too.” Federer moves on to play Britain’s Andy Murray in the gold medal game, which will be a rematch of the 2012 Wimbledon final in which Federer defeated Murray 6-4 in the final set.

Although, Del Potro can no longer aim for a silver or gold, his Olympic dreams aren’t completely dashed. He’ll play Novak Djokovic in the bronze medal game on 5th August.

Keep an eye on the Indy’s events calendar for the time of the bronze medal game between Del Potro and Djokovic.

Juan Martín del Potro beat world number one Novak Djokovic in the deciding match of the Davis Cup semi final to give Argentina a 3-2 victory over Serbia.

Djokovic, the recent US Open winner and world number one, retired injured with back trouble when Del Potro was 7-6, 3-0 ahead. Djokovic said the injury is “not as serious as we have though. It’s a partial rupture of a back muscle that deserves rest.” He is expected to be injured for a month.

“I felt real confidence on my service and my forehand,” said Del Potro, who won the US Open in 2009 but struggled with injury throughout 2010. “Argentina deserved to win.”

In other matches, Argentines David Nalbandian beat Viktor Troicki, Del Potro beat Janko Tipsarevic while Serbia won the doubles match. The last game, a dead rubber, was won by Serbian Tipsarevic as Juan Monaco retired injured.

Argentina are the first team to beat Serbia in Belgrade since Belgium won there in 2005.

Fourth-ranked Argentina will play top-ranked Spain in the December final, who beat France 4-1. Argentine captain Tito Vazquez said: “Spain will be very difficult for us, especially on clay. We know how Rafa plays on clay and how many tournaments he has won on the surface.”

Argentine tennis star Juan Martin del Potro has reached the final of the prestigious ATP World Tour Finals in London, after defeating Swede Robin Soderling in three sets.

Del Potro, who hails from Tandil in Buenos Aires Province, fought back after losing the first set in a tie break, eventually finishing a 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 victor. The win followed a fantastic performance on Thursday, where he defeated World Number One Roger Federer to secure his place in the knockout stages of the tournament.

Del Potro will now play Nicolas Davydenko in the final on Sunday, after the Russian upset Federer in a surprise result. The World Tour Finals are considered by some to be the biggest test of the year for tennis players; only the top eight stars in the world are eligible to attend, and they compete for a prize of nearly US$450,000.

Winning the championship would confirm a breakthrough year for the Argentine, 21. Del Potro shot to headlines in September after winning the U.S Open in thrilling fashion, provoking spontaneous celebrations in Tandil and across Argentina. After the game he commented to gathered press “I feel tired. I am happy to make my final. Thank you for the support – you helped me to keep fighting.”

Argentine tennis player Juan Martín del Potro has won the final of the US Open in a match that took place on Monday 14th September in New York. The fresh talent from Tandil beat reigning champion and ATP ranked world number one Roger Federer to become the first Argentine man in 30 years to win the prestigious competition, since Guillermo Vilas’s victory in 1977.

This is the first time Del Potro, whose 21st birthday is only a matter of days away, has reached the final of a grand slam, as the four principle tournaments are known. Nevertheless, he is currently rated number five in the ATP world rankings and is perceived to be a rising star in the tennis world, a reputation which the victory will further cement. His opponent, Swiss Federer, aged 28 and already a heavyweight on the circuit, had won all the previous six matches against his Argentine rival.

The game played out over five sets and lasted four hours six minutes. The eventual result was 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 to the ‘giant of the Pampas’, as Del Potro is known for his 2m tall stature and place of origin. “To win in five against Federer makes it even more special,” a triumphant Del Potro declared of his remarkable success, adding “of course I knew it was going to be very difficult, and in a way, it makes it better that it was difficult.” Federer’s domination on the international tennis scene has been threatened, and Argentina has an exciting new victory to celebrate.