Olympic water polo player Tony Azevedo is in his element in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics. Not only is this his fifth Olympics, but he was also born in the Brazilian city before his family moved to Southern California. As he goes after the elusive gold, the team captain shares 25 fun facts about himself with Us Weekly.
1. I was officially pronounced dead on an operating table for over a minute after suffering an accident at the age of 4.
2. My favorite show is Top Chef, and my dream is to be a special guest one day.
3. I cook an amazing pasta alle vongole.
4. I have lived in five countries over the last 10 years.
5. I speak three languages: English, Italian and Portuguese.
6. The truffle pasta at Lucciola in Cremona, Italy, is the best thing I have ever eaten.
7. I always wear my HardCore suit when I surf or go to the beach.
8. I drink Amazing Grass Wheatgrass every morning.
9. I love red wine and hope to enter the wine business one day.
10. I am a passionate animal activist and work with the ASPCA and other organizations.
11. My first cat was named Snow Snow and I adopted her in the country of Montenegro.
12. I love flying and am an expert at seat selection, mileage and navigating airports.
13. I almost bungee-jumped on my honeymoon but chickened out at the last second.
14. My wife, Sara, is from Mexico City and it’s now my favorite city in the world.
15. My son, Cruz, 3, is already trilingual, and I don’t understand him half the time.
16. One of my fondest memories is speaking Italian with Kobe Bryant at the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics.
17. My favorite concert was Pearl Jam in Milan.
18. I’m obsessed with watching football when I have access to American TV.
19. Some days I spend up to eight hours in the water without ever touching the ground.
20. I have a degree in International Relations from Stanford University.
21. I am working on importing cachaca [alcohol made from sugarcane juice] from Brazil and getting Americans to enjoy it.
22. The quote I live by is “the greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure” by Sven Eriksson.
23. My favorite movie is The Last of the Mohicans.
24. Mikasa designed my own line of Tony Azevedo hybrid water polo balls.
25. My uncle was an Olympic swimmer and my grandpa played football for Coach Bear Bryant in Alabama.
