Juan Francisco Zanassi

Juan Francisco Zanassi was an Argentine rower, journalist and television presenter who also had a big impact on sport in Guatemala. When he was 15-years-old, Zanassi took up rowing at Club San Fernando in Buenos Aires. With the club, he won two national championships, and a bronze medal at the 1963 Pan American Games in São Paulo. Also in 1963, Zanassi won a gold medal at the South American Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

In 1972, Zanassi began working as a rowing coach, starting at Club España in Mexico. In 1988, Zanassi moved to Guatemala where he started a rowing programme. In 2000, he became the head of the Guatemalan delegation for the Sydney Olympics. Four years later, he covered the performance of the Guatemalan team at the 2004 Athens Olympics. In 2012, Zanassi was named as one of the top four sports commentators in Central America.