Raphael Vidal
Rafael Antonio Vidal Castro (Caracas, Venezuela, January 6, 1964 – February 12, 2005) was a Venezuelan swimmer, sportscaster and bronze medalist in the competition 200 m butterfly swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Biography
She began swimming at the age of seven at the Colegio Santiago de León in Caracas.
He has represented Venezuela in various regional competitions since 1978. In 1980 he began his participation in the XXV South American Open Swimming Championships in Buenos Aires, where he won a gold and a silver medal. That same year she participated in the Latin American Cup held in Madrid, Spain. In 1981 he participated in the South American Swimming Championship for ages held in Medellín, Colombia, won two gold medals, then went to the Central American Swimming Championship for ages, Oaxtepec, Mexico, obtaining two gold medals, in the IX Bolivarian Games held in Barquisimeto, Venezuela sweeps with six gold medals and two silver.
In 1982, at the XIV Central American Games in Havana, Cuba won six gold medals. In 1983 at the IX Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela won five bronze medals. At the age of 20, Vidal became the first Venezuelan swimmer to win an Olympic medal in the 200m butterfly category at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The final, the closest of all swimming in those Games, was thus: Jon Sieben, AUS, 1:57.04, GOLD; Michael Gross, GER, 1:57.40, SILVER; Rafael Vidal, VEN, 1:57.51, BRONZE In 1988, he attended the Olympic Academy Special Session held in Olympia, Greece.
For 2005, he has one of the fifteen best times in the history of the Games in this specialty. This triumph made him a national celebrity.
Studies
He studied Business Administration and an M.S. in Computer Engineering at the University of Florida in Gainesville. After retiring from competitions, Vidal dedicated himself to advising athletes and company executives on how to overcome conflicts of self-esteem, and management in general. He also developed a career as a sportscaster and wrote a self-help book entitled & # 34; Los Sellos Secretos & # 34;
Death
Vidal dies in Caracas during the early morning of February 12, 2005 due to a traffic accident where he received a strong impact from a truck against his vehicle, which was dragged about 40 meters when traveling through the Baruta municipality, from Miranda State.
A sports center located in the La Trinidad urbanization in the Baruta municipality of the city of Caracas, is called "Polideportivo Rafael Vidal" in his honor; the pool of the Santiago de León School in Caracas also bears his name.
In the building of the Ministry of Popular Power for Sports, located between Montalbán and La India (La Vega), also called the "Teo Capriles" Velodrome, there is a bust of him in the area of the Olympic pool, as an example for young athletes who will follow in his footsteps in this discipline. Also, the library of this institution proudly bears his name.