Valentin Preda
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Vali[1] |
| Nationality |  Romania |
| Born | 24 May 1985 Brăila, Romania |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 72 kg (159 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Stroke(s) | Breaststroke |
| Club | SCM Piteşti (ROU) |
| College team | Louisville Cardinals (USA) |
| Coach | Arthur Albeiro (USA) |
Valentin "Vali" Preda (born May 24, 1985 in Brăila) is a Romanian swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events.[2] He is a multiple-time Romanian record holder in the breaststroke (both 100 and 200 m), and medley relays (both 200 and 400 m). Preda is a former member of the swimming team for the Louisville Cardinals, and a graduate of exercise science at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky.
Preda qualified for two swimming events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing by eclipsing a FINA B-standard entry time of 1:02.16 (100 m breaststroke) from the from the European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands.[3][4] On the first night of the Games, Preda challenged seven other swimmers on the fifth heat of the 100 m breaststroke, including two-time Olympians Mike Brown of Canada and Sofiane Daid of Algeria. He raced to a third-place tie with Sweden's Jonas Andersson in his personal best of 1:01.77, just 0.11 of a second off his Romanian record. Preda failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed thirty-first overall in the preliminaries.[5][1]
Nearly a week later, Preda teamed up with Răzvan Florea, Ioan Gherghel, and Norbert Trandafir in the 4×100 m medley relay. Swimming the breaststroke leg, Preda recorded a split of 1:01.41, and the Romanian team finished the heats in thirteenth overall, breaking a new national record of 3:38.00.[6][7]
References
- ^ a b "Vali Preda Swims First Olympic Race". Louisville Cardinals. 9 August 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ "Valentin Preda Biography and Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ^ "Olympic Cut Sheet – Men's 100m Breaststroke" (PDF). Swimming World Magazine. p. 27. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- ^ "2008 LEN European Aquatics Championships (Eindhoven, Netherlands) – Men's 100m Breaststroke Heats" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ "Men's 100m Breaststroke Heat 5". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ^ "Men's 4 × 100m Medley Relay Heat 1". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ^ "Vali Preda Helps Set New Romanian Record in 4×100 Medley Relay". Louisville Cardinals. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
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