ESP
Rafael is a swimmer from Spain, a breaststroke specialist and a sprinter, whose official competitive record spans 11 seasons, 20 years, 3 countries and 97 meets.
His recorded career begins in 2007 in Liberty, where he raced the 200 butterfly in 3:22.19. He started out alongside YMCA of the Triangle Area Swim Team.
His signature event is the 100 breaststroke, the event he has raced the most, followed by the 50 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke. Breaststroke is the backbone of the whole record: 73 meets and 120 recorded swims.
His fastest 100 breaststroke stands at 1:16.99, set in long course (50 m) at Cadiz.
After a 10-year break between 2009 and 2019, he came back to racing and the record picks up again in 2019. 2024 is the busiest season on record, with 60 verified individual swims.
He is a genuinely international swimmer: the official record spans 3 countries (Spain, the United States and UNK), including 36 of 97 meets outside Spain.
Those meets span 34 different venues (Sevilla, Cary, Cádiz and South Gate…). He has raced for 5 clubs, led by YMCA of the Triangle Area Swim Team, Club Natación Dos Hermanas, Downey Dolphins Swim Team and CLUB NATACION ESTEPONA.
Still active: the directory includes official activity in the 2026 season. The last race on record is dated June 21, 2026 in Cádiz, with 2 swims: 1:16.99 in the 100 breaststroke and 2:29.60 in the 200 individual medley, all in long course (50 m) and 2 PB improvements. He holds 39 current event personal bests and 214 all-time PB improvements across 290 verified official swims in competitions governed by RFEN.