Eulalio Ríos Alemán (21 January 1935 – c. 1980) was a Mexican Olympic

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 ...

Family

He was born to a low-income family in a small town in the state of

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, and from a young age he trained to swim against the current of a brook that passed near his home, in

Hueyapan de Ocampo Hueyapan de Ocampo is a Mexican municipality Veracruz. It is located in south of the state, about 245 km from state capital Xalapa. The municipality has an area of 824.18 km. The municipality of Hueyapan de Ocampo is delimited to the n ...

, to the south of

Catemaco Catemaco () is a city in Catemaco Municipality located in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located on Lake Catemaco, with the municipality stretching north to the Gulf of Mexico. Catemaco is a tourist destination, with its m ...

on the road to Coatzacoalcos.

Early years

He was already a fast freestyle swimmer with a thudding kick when he went to

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which ...

to study law and to be coached in swimming. In 1956 he learned the

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

stroke under the guidance of his trainer Antonio Murrieta and watched an exhibition of the (by that time) "new dolphin kick" technique by the experienced swimmer

Walter Ocampo Walter Ocampo (27 December 1928 – 2 September 2007) was a Mexican breaststroke and butterfly swimmer who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of t ...

, of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

's Centro Deportivo Chapultepec. He practiced and learned quickly in the cold waters of the rustic pool "La PLaya", near Los Berros park in Xalapa. Within a few months he swam successfully in the olympic trials and was ready to compete for Mexico in the

1956 Melbourne Olympic Games The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

Competitions, records, prizes

* Panamerican Games * Centroamerican Games * USA Open National Championships *

: He competed in the 200 meters butterfly, passed the qualifications heats and participated in the final, becoming the first Mexican swimmer to have done so in Olympic Games. :: See: 200 m butterfly final in 1956 * 1960 Rome Olympic Games Eulalio reached the semifinals. :: See: 200 m butterfly semifinal #1 in 1960. * "Trofeo Latinoamericano Cabeza De Palenque" awarded by the International Swimming Hall Of Fame" (at Fort Lauderdale, FL) "for the 1956 Olympics where he placed 6th in the 200m fly".Hall of Fame
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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rios, Eulalio Mexican male swimmers Olympic swimmers of Mexico Sportspeople from Veracruz Swimmers at the 1955 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1959 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1960 Summer Olympics People from Xalapa 1935 births 1980s deaths Pan American Games gold medalists for Mexico Pan American Games bronze medalists for Mexico Pan American Games medalists in swimming Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Mexico Competitors at the 1959 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games 20th-century Mexican people