Rafael Vidal
Encyclopedia
Rafael Antonio Vidal Castro (January 6, 1964 – February 12, 2005) was a Venezuela
n international swimmer
and sports commentator
.
Vidal was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1964. At age 19, he became the first Venezuelan swimmer to win an Olympic medal in the 200-meter butterfly
competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles, California
. Although he was one of the smallest men in the pool at 5-foot-11, 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 eighth of the top ten swimmers in the 200-meter butterfly of all time.
A year later, Vidal left Venezuela to pursue a career in administration and earned his bachelor's degree
in computer and information sciences from the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he swam for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) competition under coach Randy Reese
from 1981 to 1985. Vidal received six All-American honors while swimming for the Gators.
After returning to Venezuela, Vidal was employed by a local television channel as a sports commentator and became a well-known television personality. Early on the morning of February 12, 2005, Vidal was killed in a traffic accident when another driver crashed his speeding Hummer
into Vidal's car. The second driver was participating in an illegal street race. Vidal was 41 years old.
A "Million Meter Swim" (Un Millón de metros por Rafael Vidal) http://www.vaacmaster.com.ve/millondemetros/english/index.htm was held on February 12, 2006, at which more than fourteen million meters were swum by swimmers from Venezuela and around the globe.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n international swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and sports commentator
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
.
Vidal was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1964. At age 19, he became the first Venezuelan swimmer to win an Olympic medal in the 200-meter butterfly
Butterfly stroke
The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...
competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Although he was one of the smallest men in the pool at 5-foot-11, Vidal was well ahead of West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
's 6-foot-7 Michael Gross
Michael Gross (swimmer)
Michael Gross , spelled Michael Groß in German, is a former swimmer from Germany. He is 201 centimeters tall, and received the nickname "The Albatross" due to his especially long arms that gave him a total span of 2.13 meters...
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 eighth of the top ten swimmers in the 200-meter butterfly of all time.
A year later, Vidal left Venezuela to pursue a career in administration and earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in computer and information sciences from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he swam for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) competition under coach Randy Reese
Randy Reese
Randy Reese is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams to four national championships, and coaching the winners of eighteen Olympic gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals...
from 1981 to 1985. Vidal received six All-American honors while swimming for the Gators.
After returning to Venezuela, Vidal was employed by a local television channel as a sports commentator and became a well-known television personality. Early on the morning of February 12, 2005, Vidal was killed in a traffic accident when another driver crashed his speeding Hummer
Hummer
Hummer was a brand of trucks and SUVs, first marketed in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. In 1998, General Motors purchased the brand name and marketed three vehicles: the original Hummer H1, based on the Humvee; and the H2 and H3 models that were...
into Vidal's car. The second driver was participating in an illegal street race. Vidal was 41 years old.
A "Million Meter Swim" (Un Millón de metros por Rafael Vidal) http://www.vaacmaster.com.ve/millondemetros/english/index.htm was held on February 12, 2006, at which more than fourteen million meters were swum by swimmers from Venezuela and around the globe.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians