Gymnastics world championships: Arthur Zanetti out to lead Brazil to Olympic history
London 2012 individual rings champion is aiming to help host nation’s men’s team qualify for first Games
Arthur Zanetti training in Rio in preparation for the world championships in Scotland (Rio 2016/Gabriela Matos)
When it comes to the host nation’s hopes for gold medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Arthur Zanetti is at the forefront. After winning gold in the rings event at the London 2012 Games, Zanetti went from unknown to national hero with a string of high-profile victories.
Gold medals at the 2013 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, the 2014 South American Games in Santiago and the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto earned the diminutive Brazilian the nickname ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
The 1.56m tall gymnast is currently in Glasgow for the 2015 World Championships Championships, which started today (23 October), and where he hopes to help Brazil qualify for the men’s team event at the Olympic Games for the first time.
Zanetti believes improvements in Brazilian gymnastics give his team a strong chance of ahcieving their dream. Check out the exclusive video interview below to hear about his hopes and aims for Rio, and how he will cope with the pressure of being a medal favourite on home soil.
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Since London 2012, Zanetti has only missed out on gold at a major event at the 2014 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, where he took silver. The gold medallist there, China’s Liu Yang, is also in Glasgow, giving Zanetti a shot at revenge.
However, he admits that his main objective is to defend his Olympic crown in Rio, where he expects home support at the Rio Olympic Arena to further his cause. “A energy of the crowds helps a lot, it gives me an extra strength that I never felt before,” he said, recalling the World Cup stage held in São Paulo in May this year.
