At 86 years old, he died Juan Carlos Harriot (h)a huge legend of Argentine polowith a legacy that includes 20 victories in the Palermo Open, 5 Silver Olimpia awards and one Gold.
Born in Colonel Suarez and son of another famous polo player, for many he was the most outstanding representative in the history of this sport, that is, the best in history.
Harriott He continued his career in polo until he was 44 years old and, as noted, he accumulated numerous awards, such as five awards. Silver Olympia in the years 1970, 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978, and the Gold in 1976.
In 1980, he received the Konex Platinum Award and a Diploma of Merit granted by this entity. In 2015, his outstanding contribution to polo was immortalized when he entered the Polo Hall of Famebecoming a true legend of the discipline.
An early career in polo
Juan Carlos Harriottknown as “El Inglés” or “Juancarlitos” to differentiate him from his father, who was also a polo player, was born in Colonel Suarez, Buenos Aireson October 28, 1936.
His polo skills manifested themselves early, as in 1953 he scored his first handicap goal. During that same year, he climbed his ranking to a handicap of 3, and finally reached the distinction of 10 in 1961, a score he maintained consistently until his retirement in 1980.
In addition to his successes in Palermo Openwon 15 times the Hurlingham Open7 times the Turtle Openand together with his team, Colonel Suarezobtained another record by winning 38 tournaments in total.
In addition, he achieved the prestigious Triple Crown title on 4 occasions, highlighting his feat of achieving it in 2 consecutive editions (1972, 1974, 1975 and 1977).
“I thank polo because it gave me friends, the possibility of traveling, it did not give me enemies and I played 2 series of the Americas Cup in 1979 and 1980, with good teammates against the United States, winning the 2 matches in the United States and the matches in Palermo, I played these series for Argentina with Coronel Suárez’s entire team and they were the ones I had the most fun with,” he recalled. Harriot In an interview.
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The “Great Willy” that inspired Guillermo Vilas
Juan Carlos Harriott left a mark on other sports, such as tennis, by inspiring a play that Guillermo Vilas popularized: the famous “Big Willy”. This play arose in the context of an advertisement for Old Smuggler whiskey in which Harriott participated and executed a backhand between his horse’s legs.
After his retirement, Juan Carlos chose to spend his days at the La Felisa ranch, which is located in his beloved town of Colonel Suarez. Maintaining his strong bond with horses, he continued to be involved in the world of polo and became a prominent figure who regularly attended the Argentine Open Polo Championship and other elite events related to this sport.
Source: Ambito
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