Brazil’s Arthur Zanneti (sixth left) and Larisa Andreea (second right) of Romania pose for a picture along with Romanian coach Octavian Bellu (right) and Mohamed Al Jaber (second left), Secretary General of Qatar Gymnastics Federation and members of the Qatar team at Aspire Academy yesterday. PICTURES BY: SALIM MATRAMKOT
DOHA: Top Brazilian gymnast Arthur Nabarette Zanetti is hoping his debut performance at this week’s 6th FIG World Challenge Cup will help him prepare for the World Championships later this year.
The 22-year-old - who won the gold medal on rings at the 2012 Olympics Games in London - will compete at the three-day event commencing at Aspire Academy today.
“One of my goals for this year is to win the title at the World Championships in Belgium and my season starts here in Doha. This will be my first event of the year,” Zanetti said yesterday.
“This event will help me prepare for other events (this year),” the Brazilian added.
“I hope I do my routine well here,” he said.
“The floor here is very, very good. One of the best I have seen.”
Zanetti said he is aiming to take part at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro to be held in 2016.
“It is one of my dreams to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio. And I want to win the gold again,” he added.
“I know it will be difficult but I will train well to achieve this goal,” he said.
“Home pressure is always tough to handle,” Zanetti said.
When asked about his gold medal winning performance in London last year, Zanetti said: “I was not surprised to win the gold. I prepared really well because I won medals at events held in Slovenia and Belgium before the Games.”
He added: “Yes, it was an amazing event. One of the best times of my career.”
Zanetti took part in the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London. He qualified in 8th for Rings Final and placed 4th during Event Finals, scoring 15,325. This was his best result that year.
However, the Brazilian won the gold medal on Rings at the 2011 Summer Universiade, in Shenzhen, China, with a score of 15,600.
It was the first medal for Brazil’s male artistic gymnastics in this competition.
In Tokyo, Japan, he won the silver medal on rings at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. His score was 15,600, finishing behind the champion, Chen Yibing.
With this result, Zanetti qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was also the first Brazilian to win a medal on rings in a World Gymnastics Championships.
At the 2011 Pan American Games, Zanetti won the silver medal on rings. He also won the team title, the first male team gold medal of Brazil in Panamerican Games.At the 2012 Artistic Gymnastics Olympic Test Event, on January 12, 2012, Zanetti won the gold medal on rings. He achieved good results in Artistic Gymnastics World Cup challenges that year.
Zanetti appeared at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and qualified in 4th place to the rings final, with a score of 15,616.
However, on August 6, 2012, he won the gold medal in this event, with a score of 15,900.
His gold medal was Brazil’s first medal and also from Latin America in any gymnastics routine at the Olympic Games.
Despite being from football-loving Brazili, Zanetti is not much of a fan of the world’s most popular sport.
“I am very bad in football (laughs). At the beginning of my career, I started off with football and gymnastics but I saw that I was really bad at football. Then I thought I rather take up gymnastics,” he said.
“I don’t like football because everyone in Brazil likes it. I feel I am different,” he added.
The Peninsula
