Pablo Restrepo

Who is Pablo Restrepo?

Pablo Restrepo is a former Colombian breaststroke swimmer. He competed for his native country at three consecutive Olympics. As of May 2009, his is the only Colombian to have ever to reach an Olympic swimming final. He attended college at the USA's Southern Illinois University.

He participated in the Central American and Caribbean Games in his city Medellin, but it was his participation in the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico that showed his capacity, when he won a bronze medal in 200-metre breaststroke.

In 1980, he swam at the Moscow Olympics, where he became the first Colombian swimmer to reach an Olympic final: in the 100-metre final. He finished seventh in 1:05.91 in Moscow. The hope for an Olympic medal would begin two years later at the 1982 World Championships in Guayaquil, when he placed fifth place in the 200-metre.

He followed the '82 Worlds, by finished third and second in the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststroke at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. This, combined with the announcement of the communist countries boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics, looked to lead to a good result in Los Angeles the following year, so after the '83 Pan Ams Restrepo went to Canada to train. Despite this, however, he failed to earn a medal at LA'84, finishing sixth place in the 200-metre. His performance, however, was the Colombian national record just until 2009.