By Mathieu Wood
Serving as a flag bearer at one Olympics is an athlete's dream, but doing so twice is almost unheard of.
Fabrizio Zanotti first won the award in Tokyo three years ago and on Friday he repeated it at the men's golf tournament at Le Golf National in Paris.
Unlike the last Olympics in Japan, when he walked into a nearly empty stadium wearing a mask, this time nothing – not even the relentless rain – could hide the smile on his face as he boarded one of 85 boats on the Seine with about 15 Paraguayan athletes.
Fabrizio Zanotti's happy moments on the banks of the Seine Photo credit: Fabrizio Zanotti
Being asked to represent the country alongside rower Alejandra Alonso came as a surprise to him. Zanotti, ranked 353rd in the world, has just made the 60-strong field for this week's race.
This shows that Zanotti enjoys a high reputation in his home country.
“It’s a huge personal accomplishment,” Zanotti said during a break after practice at the National Golf Club.
“I am proud of my place in Paraguayan sports. It was a really great experience and the opening ceremony was completely different from anything I've ever seen.”
Zanotti in Tokyo is a very different story
Two-time DP World Tour champion Zanotti is one of only four men (along with Ryan Fox, Gavin Green and CT Penn) to have competed in every Olympics since golf returned in 2016.
At 41, this could be his last time competing, so he is determined to make the most of it, choosing to stay in the Olympic Village in the days leading up to the event before moving closer to the 2018 Ryder Cup venue.
“Golf can be very lonely, so being around athletes from other sports makes you feel like you’re part of a team,” explained Zanotti, who is the only Paraguayan representative in both the men’s and women’s golf tournaments.
“It’s a great feeling, asking other people what sports they play and hearing about their experiences.”
Only 28 Paraguayan athletes traveled to France to compete in this summer's Olympics. Nearly two-thirds of them were members of the Paraguayan men's soccer team.
Perhaps just by coincidence, the sport has earned the South American country its only medal at the Olympics – a silver in men’s soccer in 2004.
With eight of the top ten men's athletes in the world rankings coming from this team, Zanotti was well aware that his chances of winning a medal seemed slim, but this did not dampen his determination to strive for the best result.
Asked if he could adopt a mindset with nothing to lose this week, he replied: “Whether it's Rio, Tokyo or Paris, you want to win a medal for yourself and your country.”
Whether it's Rio, Tokyo or Paris, you want to win a medal for yourself and your country.
But perhaps it was the fact of competing in front of his family that gave Zanotti the satisfaction and confidence that it would be an enriching experience over the four days of competition.
“I’m with my wife and three kids this week, which is a completely different experience than in Tokyo where that wouldn’t be possible due to the pandemic and quarantine rules,” he said, beaming.
“My 9-year-old son was so happy when I found out I was eligible. I will be so excited when I get the news and see my family before the first round on Thursday.”
It remains to be seen how Zanotti fares this week, but there is no doubt that he is proud to once again be a part of the biggest sporting event in history.
“Golf is becoming more and more important in the Olympics,” he said. “We had a very strong field this week. The players showed their commitment to the Olympics, which is really great.”
“The Olympics provides a platform for the further development of golf.”
As can be seen from these words, Zanotti has become the standard-bearer in more than one sense this week.
