Occitanie retained the title of the Polo Nations Cup, the international tournament that took place at the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, in La Ferme d’Apremont, France. Isabelle Larenaudie’s organisation, also known as Télédou, is growing faster every year, and is currently one of the most important in France.

Simón and Ramiro Zavaleta have been crucial in this significant improvement; they have been together with Isabelle for five years. And it was Simón, who secured the win and the second consecutive title to the team, in this remarkable international competition. Here’s what he had to say to PoloLine on such achievement.

Did you imagine you would be able to retain the title of the Polo Nations Cup?

Yes, you could dream a bit, otherwise it would be a bit complicated. However, we knew it was not going to be easy, because there were many good teams. And one of the best ones was Matias Torres Zavaleta’s team; they were doing really good. But you must never lost conficence. Obviously, anything can happen, but we had enough faith in us.

It was a very narrow contest that ended in extra chukka. What did you speak before playing that crucial OT?

Honestly, I couldn’t speak myself, because I made a terrible mistake, that led to tie the match. I didn’t feel good at all when the game ended. But the guys encouraged me, and by the time to play the extra chukka, we were very determined to make it.

And you scored the winning goal. How did you manage to make it?

I closed my eyes and hit the ball. The ball was in front of me, I noticed a hole in between the horses’ legs and I simply hit it. And fortunately it ended between the goalposts.

After five years with Isabelle, how do you see the growth and development of the organisation?

We started slowly, playing 8-goal tournaments. In the meantime, Isabelle and her husband started to buy horses and helped me a great deal. Today, I feel we are a huge organisation, and it makes me happy not only for me, but for Isabelle too, because she puts a lot of effort.

Is this victory a big encouragement for the remaining of the season?

Of course! It’s never easy to win, so every victory makes you more confident. Now, we aim to our most important tournament, the Coupe d’Or, in Deauville. And in order to achieve that goal, we are determined to do our best. As usuao.