Martín Gaitán
Encyclopedia
Martín Gaitán is an Argentine
rugby union
footballer. He has played club rugby in Argentina and France
, as well as playing for the Argentina national rugby union team
.
Gaitán started his career with Club Atlético San Isidro
in 1997. He soon earned his debut for the national team, playing against the United States
team in 1998. He then spent most of the next four years playing sevens
.
In 2002, Gaitán moved to France to play for Biarritz
and in 2003 he was selected to be part of the Argentina Rugby World Cup
squad. He was selected to play for Argentina at the 2007
tournament, but a scan revealed that he had a blocked artery in his heart missed the tournament in order to have surgery.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer. He has played club rugby in Argentina and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as well as playing for the Argentina national rugby union team
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
.
Gaitán started his career with Club Atlético San Isidro
Club Atlético San Isidro
The Club Atlético San Isidro is a sports club based in San Isidro, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mostly known for its rugby union team , the club hosts other activities such as field hockey, tennis, football, golf and squash amongst others.-History:The sporting institution was founded on 24...
in 1997. He soon earned his debut for the national team, playing against the United States
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
team in 1998. He then spent most of the next four years playing sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
.
In 2002, Gaitán moved to France to play for Biarritz
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
and in 2003 he was selected to be part of the Argentina Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
squad. He was selected to play for Argentina at the 2007
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
tournament, but a scan revealed that he had a blocked artery in his heart missed the tournament in order to have surgery.