Tribute To Gonzalo Tanoira

tribute Ten-goal man

He was one of the greatest players Argentina has ever produced – and the fi nest of human beings. Long-time friend Alberto P Heguy pays his respects to Gonzalo Tanoira

The polo community was left stunned on Friday 17th December 2004 when Gonzalo Tanoira, president of the Argentine Polo Association (AAP), tragically died in the Mater Dei hospital in Buenos Aires after suff ering a heart attack during a routine back operation.

Son of Susana Graziosi and Doctor Jorge Tanoira, Gonzalo was married to architect Lusita Miguens and was father to Gonzalo, Javier, Bárbara, Leonor and Santiago.

As a player Gonzalo reached the maximum 10 goal rating in 1969 and is regarded as one of the alltime greats of Argentine polo. Yet despite his undisputed talent, he never won the Argentine Open.

In May 2005, Gonzalo would have completed his term as President of the AAP, a reign that had at times been controversial, but one that ended with the most exciting Argentine Open in years.

Seventeen-time Argentine Open winner Alberto P Heguy, father to three of the Indios Chapaleufu II team that won the 2004 Open, and rival and longtime f riend of Gonzalo Tanoira, here pays tribute to the life of the late AAP President.

Gonzalo and I knew each other for years and the one underlying feeling between us was the respect that we had for one another and the respect everyone in polo had for him. at is something very diffi cult to accomplish in this sport.

On the fi eld Gonzalo was probably the greatest player

Above: Playing at Oak Brook World Cup outside Chicago, 1977. Left: his last picture, December 2004, presenting trophies to children at La Candelaria Polo Club, Argentina never to win the Argentine Open. And I have to admit that he was better than me, even though I won the tournament 17 times. is was a cultured, intelligent and reasonable man who seemed much more knowledgeable about the world in general than most and who happened to be the second-best player of his generation.

I can say with absolute certainty that the only man better on a polo fi eld than Gonzalo Tanoira in our era was Juan Carlos Harriot.

Perhaps that was because Gonzalo did not risk everything on the fi eld, like some of us did. He lacked that crazy spark which pushed us over the edge and beyond. But instead he was a hugely talented, technical, neat and precise player who played with total control who did not need to risk his life every time he played.

When our old Coronel Suárez team was considered practically unbeatable, people thought he should have joined the Santa Ana team so that they could mount a serious challenge against us. I guess the romantic in me says that instead of choosing to play for Santa Ana, Gonzalo preferred to keep playing with his f riends for his Mar del Plata team. e reality of it is that he probably preferred to continue playing good polo with Mar del Plata,

irrespective of the results. Either way, it shows the type of man he was. He overlooked a word which so many other sportsmen craved and placed so much importance on – winning.

We played against one another on numerous occasions, but, irrespective of who won, we would always go out and celebrate together. And the times that we did play on the same team – in various exhibition matches, in the 1977 World Cup in the United States, or in the third match of the Americas Cup in San Antonio, Texas – I can be one hundred percent sure, without any shadow of a doubt, that we never lost a game.

In the 1977 World Cup in Chicago, when we won the tournament for Chapaleufu, I remember saying to the team that if the rest of us did our jobs, he would win the game for us. at is not to say that we were not good, but it was a case of recognising that if his team-mates grafted for the side, he had enough ability to defi ne games.

I remember being overcome by emotion that only 10 days before his operation the two of us were asked to play in a veterans game in which Gonzalo once again pulled out of the bag his impeccable timing of the ball and his precise hitting technique. Once again we came out on top and recorded a win as we used to do in the past.

Gonzalo was a special player f rom whom

others learned a great deal. And as a horse breeder Gonzalo was second to none. From a good starting base, he would produce really high-quality product in small quantities. He was also a fi ne businessman and managed to do well f rom his breed. Off the fi eld, Gonzalo, like any of us, made mistakes and there were times when people did not agree with his policies, particularly when dealing with Indios Chapaleufu teams as President of the AAP. We (the Heguys) felt hard-done-by at times. But no matter what his decisions were, people always had respect for him. ere is no disputing that the 2004 Open was excellent. is was a tribute to Gonzalo. I do not say this because my sons won the competition. I say it because the games all He overlooked showed how polo should be played and the 2004 Abierto a word that so will be remembered because of him. For a man who never many other won the tournament, he knew how to make it into a brilliant sportsman spectacle. On a lighter note, I craved and remember years ago when Gonzalo danced with Grace placed so much Kelly in Monaco. She was a importance on princess and he was probably the best looking polo player – winning in the world. But I remember him telling me that that kind of thing didn’t interest him too much. He was too downto-earth to be aff ected by that. On and off the fi eld, people admired him. Gonzalo will be greatly missed by everyone in the polo world. ■

The Cowdray Park Gold Cup, 1966 won by Windsor Park. Centre front: Archie David. Gonzalo Tanoira is fourth from right next to the Duke of Edinburgh