Martín López-Zubero facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | April 23, 1969 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Club Natació Sabadell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Florida (U.S.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Martín López-Zubero Purcell (born April 23, 1969) is a famous former swimmer. He won a gold medal at the Olympics. Martín was born in the United States. He swam for Spain in international competitions. He is a citizen of both Spain and the United States.
Early Life
Martín López-Zubero was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969. His father, Jose, was from Zaragoza, Spain. He moved to the United States to study medicine. Martín grew up in a family of swimmers. His older brother, David López-Zubero, also swam for Spain. David won a bronze medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Martín went to The Bolles School in Jacksonville. This was a special school that helped students get ready for college. He trained there with coach Gregg Troy. He swam for the Bolles Bulldogs high school swim team. Martín finished school in 1987.
College Swimming
Martín's older brother David and sister Julia swam for the University of Florida. Martín also received a special award called an athletic scholarship to attend the university. This scholarship helped pay for his college because he was a great athlete. He swam for coach Randy Reese and coach Skip Foster's Florida Gators swimming and diving teams. He was part of the team from 1988 to 1991.
While swimming for the Gators, Martín won four big college championships. He won the 200-meter individual medley and the 400-meter medley relay. He also won the 200-meter backstroke twice. He was honored fifteen times as an All-American. This means he was recognized as one of the best college athletes in the country. After college, he trained with coach Ron Ballatore. His brother David also helped train him.
International Competitions
Martín López-Zubero competed in three Summer Olympics. These were in 1988, 1992, and 1996. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, he finished eleventh in the 200-meter backstroke. Four years later, he returned to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There, he won the gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke. He also placed fourth in the 100-meter backstroke. He finished seventh in the 100-meter butterfly at those games.
In 1996, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, he finished fourth in the 100-meter backstroke. He also placed sixth in the 200-meter backstroke.
Martín won world championship titles in the 200-meter backstroke. This was at the 1991 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Australia. He also won the 100-meter backstroke at the 1994 World Aquatic Championships in Rome, Italy. In 1991, he finished third in the 100-meter backstroke. In 1994, he was second in the 200-meter backstroke.
Martín was also a five-time European champion. He won the 100-meter backstroke in 1989 (Bonn), 1991 (Athens), 1993 (Sheffield), and 1997 (Seville). He won the 200-meter backstroke in 1991. He was also second in the 200-meter backstroke in 1993. He won both the 100 and 200-meter backstroke events at the 1990 and 1994 Goodwill Games.
Life After Swimming
Martín López-Zubero earned a bachelor's degree in recreation in 1998. He got this from the University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance. He used to be an assistant swimming coach at The Bolles School. He was named "Florida Age Group Coach of the Year" in 1998, 1999, and 2002.
In 2001, Martín was added to the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. This means he was recognized as a "Gator Great" for his amazing achievements. In 2004, he was also added to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. This is a very high honor for swimmers. Today, Martín López-Zubero is the aquatics director at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. This means he manages all the swimming programs there.
Martín is married and has a son and a daughter.
See also
In Spanish: Martín López-Zubero para niños
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
- List of Spanish records in swimming
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
- List of University of Florida Olympians
- List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
- World record progression 200 metres backstroke
