David López-Zubero Purcell (born 11 February 1959), also known as David Zubero, is a former competitive swimmer who represented Spain at three Summer Olympics and won an Olympic bronze medal in 1980. Zubero was born in the United States, swam in international competition for Spain, and holds dual Spanish-American citizenship.

David Zubero
Personal information
Full nameDavid López-Zubero Purcell
National teamSpain
Born (1959-02-11) 11 February 1959 (age 65)
Syracuse, New York
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, Butterfly
ClubClub Náutico Metropole
College teamUniversity of Florida
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Spain
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1980 Moscow 100 m butterfly
European Championships (LC)
Silver medal – second place 1983 Rome 100 m butterfly
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1979 Split 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1979 Split 100 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1983 Casablanca 100 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1983 Casablanca 200 m medley

Zubero was born in Syracuse, New York. He attended the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he swam for the Bolles high school swim team.[1] He graduated from the Bolles School in 1977.[1]

Zubero attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he swam for coach Randy Reese's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) competition from 1977 to 1981.[2] He competed in the championship finals of the 200-yard individual medley all four years.[2] Zubero swam on the Gators 800-yard freestyle relay team that set an American record and tied the NCAA record, while winning the national title in that event in 1979.[2] He also swam on another national championship 800-yard freestyle relay in 1981.[2] During his four years as a Gator swimmer, Zubero received fourteen All-American honors.[2]

Zubero graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in microbiology and cell science in 1983, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2002.[3][4]

David Zubero is the older brother of the 1992 Olympic champion in the 200-meter backstroke, Martin López-Zubero. The younger Zubero also attended the University of Florida and competed for Spain internationally.

Zubero represented Spain in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1976.[5] At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, he placed third in the 100-meter butterfly.[5] He also swam in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, tying for twelfth in the 100-meter butterfly and also swimming for the eleventh-place Spanish men's team in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.[5]

Zubero served as an assistant coach under Ralph Crocker and Gary Butts for the Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the 1990s. He earned a master's degree in science education from Nova Southeastern University in Broward County, Florida.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b The Bolles School, Athletics, Bolles Olympic Medalists Archived 2015-07-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e UF Swimming & Diving 2009–2010 Media Guide, Gator History & Records Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 88–90, 94, 97, 104–105, 108, 117 (2009). Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  3. ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  4. ^ "Nine Former Gators Named to UF Hall of Fame Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine," GatorZone.com (April 4, 2002). Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, David López-Zubero. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
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  • Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "David López-Zubero". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.