Pablo Martín Abal

Pablo Martín Abal (born March 19, 1977) is an Argentine former swimmer, who specialized in butterfly and backstroke events.[1] He is a 2000 Olympian, an Argentine record holder in both sprint backstroke and butterfly, and a three-time All-American honoree for the Arizona State University swimming and diving team while studying in the United States.[2][3][4]

Pablo Martín Abal
Personal information
Full namePablo Martín Abal
National team Argentina
Born (1977-03-19) 19 March 1977
Santa Rosa, La Pampa,
Argentina
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesButterfly, Backstroke
College teamArizona State University (U.S.)
CoachMike Chasson (U.S.)

Abal accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, where he played for the Arizona State Sun Devils swimming and diving team, under head coach Mike Chasson.[3] While swimming for the Sun Devils, Abal received three All-American honors, and recorded the second-fastest time in school's history for the 100-yard backstroke (48.26) at the 1999 NCAA Championships.[5][6] At the end of his college career, Abal graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering.

Abal competed in two swimming events for Argentina at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He achieved a FINA B-cut of 54.67 (100 m butterfly) from the Argentine National Championships in Buenos Aires.[7][8] On the sixth day of the Games, Abal placed twenty-eighth in the 100 m butterfly. Swimming in heat five, he posted a lifetime best of 54.45 to pick up a sixth seed, but missed the semifinals by 0.64 of a second with a twenty-eighth-place effort.[8][9][10] Abal also teamed up with Eduardo Germán Otero, Sergio Andres Ferreyra, and José Meolans in the 4 × 100 m medley relay. Swimming a butterfly leg in heat three, Abal recorded a split of 53.96, a national record, but the Argentines settled only for seventh place and eighteenth overall in a final time of 3:43.61.[11] Pablo Abal started competing in Master swimming in 2016. He participated in the X South American championship in short course meters in Uruguay placing 1st in 50 butterfly with 25.83s, 1st in 100 IM with 1´00.68s and 1st in 50 backstroke breaking the World Record for the category 35–39 with 25.70s.

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pablo Martín Abal". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  2. "ASU Olympians List". Arizona State Sun Devils. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  3. "Arizona State Olympians" (PDF). Arizona State Sun Devils. p. 41. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  4. Aguado, Jorge (28 September 2001). "Florencia Szigeti Breaks South American Record in 200 Free, Cracks 2 Minutes". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  5. "Szigeti Earns Four First-Place Finishes, Two Records At Argentine Short Course Championships". Arizona State Sun Devils. 2 October 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  6. "Swimming All-Americans" (PDF). Arizona State Sun Devils. p. 33. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  7. "Swimming – Men's 100m Butterfly Startlist (Heat 5)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  8. "Sydney 2000: Día por día" [Sydney 2000: Day by day] (in Spanish). Argentine Swimming Federation. 16–22 September 2000. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  9. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 100m Butterfly Heat 5" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 208. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  10. "Czene Misses Medal At Olympics". Arizona State Sun Devils. 21 September 2000. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  11. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 4×100m Medley Heat 3" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 348. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
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