Alberto Eugenio Mestre Sosa (born September 30, 1964) is a former competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

who represented

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

and

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Biography

As a 15-year-old at the

in Moscow, Mestre competed in the qualifying heats of the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle events, but he did not advance.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes
Alberto Mestre
Retrieved August 16, 2012. Three years later, Mestre enjoyed significant success at the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to include relatively accurate steroid testing.Taylor, William N., ''Anabolic Steroids and the ...

in Caracas. He won a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle, a bronze in the 100-meter freestyle, and three more bronzes as a member of Venezuela's third-place relay teams in three different relay events. Married Adriana Vivas, and has two children Alberto and Alfonso Mestre, both competitive swimmers. After the 1983 Pan American Games, Mestre enrolled in the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in Gainesville, Florida, where he trained with coach

Randy Reese Randy Reese (born 1946) is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams of the University of Florida to four national championships, and coaching the winners of ei ...

and swam for the

Florida Gators swimming and diving The Florida Gators swimming and diving program represents the University of Florida in the aquatics sports of swimming and diving. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Colle ...

team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) competition from 1983 to 1986.
Florida Swimming & Diving 2009–2010 Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 87, 88, 89, 90, 93, 97, 107, 113, 114, 117 (2009). Retrieved July 19, 2014. He was a member of three NCAA national champion relays, helping to propel the Gators to NCAA national team championships in 1983 and 1984. Mestre received seventeen All-American honors in four years. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science in 1987, and was later inducted in the

University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes over 300 former Florida Gators athletes who represented the University of Florida in one or more intercollegiate sports and were recognized as "Gator Greats" for their athletic excellence ...

as a "Gator Great."F Club, Hall of Fame
Gator Greats
Retrieved December 15, 2014. At the

in Los Angeles, Mestre again competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle, advancing to the finals in both events, and finishing sixth and fifth, respectively. He also was a member of Venezuela's relay teams in the 4x100-meter freestyle, 4x200-meter freestyle, and 4x100-meter medley relay events, competing in the qualifying heats of those three events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mestre, Alberto 1964 births Living people Florida Gators men's swimmers The Hill School alumni Venezuelan male freestyle swimmers Olympic swimmers of Venezuela Swimmers at the 1979 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1983 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for Venezuela Pan American Games bronze medalists for Venezuela Pan American Games medalists in swimming Competitors at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Venezuela Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games

Biography

See also

References