RUSSO Fernanda

General
FUTURE PLANS
She plans to stay involved in shooting once her competitive career is over and help to improve the sport in her country. "I do not know when I will hang up my rifle, but I imagine myself continuing to be involved in the sport. I am convinced that once you get into the sport and see the things that need to be changed, you cannot do otherwise. If you were affected by something, and see that somebody else is also affected by the same thing, you need to do something to fix it." (tycsports.com, 21 Nov 2019)

ROLE MODEL
She says she is comfortable being viewed as a role model to younger athletes and wants to help guide future generations of shooters in Argentina. "It's so weird. For me it is completely normal to do what I am doing, but it is strange that someone says, 'I want to be like you'. I try to be for them the adult that I needed when I was younger. I didn't have anybody on my team that [calmed me down] and told me that everything would be okay. If you are not going to be a role model, why are you there anyway?" (tycsports.com, 21 Nov 2019)

TATTOO
She has a tattoo of the Olympic rings on her upper back. The shape of each ring is outlined by different quotes in Latin. (Instagram profile, 27 Jun 2019)

STUDIES SWITCH
In 2018 she began studying bioengineering at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology [ITBA] in Argentina, but later switched to sports management in March 2019 because she felt the course better suited her sporting career. "I was in bioengineering at ITBA, but it didn't give me the rhythm I wanted to do both, study and compete. One thing counteracted the other and you have to know how to prioritise. So I switched to sports management, which has a lot to do with what I am doing [shooting]. As an athlete one sees certain realities that you can only change from the other side, but you have to back up those experiences with knowledge. You can't just give your opinion and generate changes. So I got into that [sports management], and I have a much more flexible schedule to train." (tycsports.com, 21 Nov 2019)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
In addition to studying and competing, she is also enrolled in the Argentine Army as a volunteer sports soldier. (pagina12.com.ar, 25 Apr 2020)