| 137th | Top Venezuelans |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
 Rafael Vidal |
||
| Men's swimming | ||
Competitor for  Venezuela |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 1984 Los Angeles | 200 m butterfly |
| Pan American Games | ||
| Bronze | 1983 Caracas | 100 m butterfly |
| Bronze | 1983 Caracas | 200 m butterfly |
Rafael Antonio Vidal Castro (January 6, 1964 – February 12, 2005) was a Venezuelan swimmer and sports commentator. He was a native of Caracas, Venezuela.
At age 19, Vidal became the first Venezuelan swimmer to win an Olympic medal in the 200 m butterfly competition in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Although he was the smallest man in the pool at 5-foot-6, Vidal was well ahead of West Germany's 6-foot-7 Michael Gross at the finish. However, one of Gross' elongated arms managed to touch the poolside first, robbing Vidal of silver. That heroic bronze-medal finish made him a national celebrity, with his image splashed on magazine and newspaper covers throughout Venezuela. His mark ranks him as the 8th of the top 10 swimmers in the 200 m butterfly of all times.
A year later, Vidal left sports to pursue a career in administration and earned his master's degree in Computer Sciences from the University of Florida in Gainesville. After returning to Venezuela, he was employed by a local TV channel as a sports commentator and became a well-know TV personality.
Rafael Vidal died in Caracas, Venezuela on the early dawning morning of February 12, 2005 when a careless speeding Hummer crashed into his car. The athlete was 41 years of age when he died.
A "Million Meter Swim" (Un Millón de metros por Rafael Vidal) [1] was held on February 12, 2006, at which more than 14 million meters were swum by swimmers from Venezuela and around the globe.
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
Wikis
Map
Search
Gold
Silver
Bronze
