Rafael Escalas
Encyclopedia
Rafael Escalas Bestard is a retired swimmer from Palma de Mallorca
, Spain
. Escalas competed on the 1980 and 1984 Spanish Olympic Teams, and swam competitively in the United States for UCLA.
In 1981 he set the NCAA record in the Men's 1,650-yard Freestyle (time: 14:53.90). Escalas is the only swimmer to win an NCAA championship after being seeded last. Escalas was ranked third in the world in the 1.500 meters freestyle in 1981. He was also a member of the UCLA NCAA championship swim team in 1982.
In recent Summer Olympics, Escalas served as Technical Director of the Swimming Competition (Barcelona 1992) and Competition Manager of Swimming (Atlanta 1996). A sports center in Palma de Mallorca is named after Rafa and his brother, Juan Enrique: Germans Escalas http://wikimapia.org/#lat=39.5770487&lon=2.6780033&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2. Rafa is currently President and CEO of competitive swimwear
manufacturer AgonSwim
.
Experience as an athlete and as a swimwear manufacturer has lead Escalas to a position as the athlete's representative on the newly formed FINA Scientific Commission for Suits. The commission has been established to maintain the standards of swimwear and limit the impact that advanced technology might have on performance. FINA has set January 1, 2010 as the date that polyurethane suits will be banned from competitive swimming.
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Escalas competed on the 1980 and 1984 Spanish Olympic Teams, and swam competitively in the United States for UCLA.
In 1981 he set the NCAA record in the Men's 1,650-yard Freestyle (time: 14:53.90). Escalas is the only swimmer to win an NCAA championship after being seeded last. Escalas was ranked third in the world in the 1.500 meters freestyle in 1981. He was also a member of the UCLA NCAA championship swim team in 1982.
In recent Summer Olympics, Escalas served as Technical Director of the Swimming Competition (Barcelona 1992) and Competition Manager of Swimming (Atlanta 1996). A sports center in Palma de Mallorca is named after Rafa and his brother, Juan Enrique: Germans Escalas http://wikimapia.org/#lat=39.5770487&lon=2.6780033&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2. Rafa is currently President and CEO of competitive swimwear
Competitive swimwear
Competitive swimwear generally refers to the Swimsuit, apparel, equipment and accessories used in the aquatic sports of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, triathlon and water polo.- Brands :Female Swimsuits*Racerback*Kneeskin*Bodyskin*LZR Racer...
manufacturer AgonSwim
AgonSwim
AgonSwim is a competitive swimwear manufacturer that was started by and is currently run by former competitive swimmers. AgonSwim produces swim suits for amateur aquatic sports using dye technology otherwise limited to use in professional sports like soccer, rugby union, cycling, and basketball...
.
Experience as an athlete and as a swimwear manufacturer has lead Escalas to a position as the athlete's representative on the newly formed FINA Scientific Commission for Suits. The commission has been established to maintain the standards of swimwear and limit the impact that advanced technology might have on performance. FINA has set January 1, 2010 as the date that polyurethane suits will be banned from competitive swimming.