Raymond Papa

Raymond Anthony Papa (born 14 October 1976 ) is a Filipino swimmer who has competed for the Philippines at the Summer Olympic Games.

Swimming career

Papa represented the Philippines in various international competitions including the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, 1997 World University Games in Sicily, 1995 Pan Pacific Games in Atlanta, 1991 SouthEast Asian Games in Manila, 1993 SouthEast Asian Games in Singapore, 1995 SouthEast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, 1997 SouthEast Asian Games in Jakarta.

Olympic Games In Atlanta 1996, Papa competed in the 200 meter freestyle, 100 meter backstroke, and the 200 meter backstroke events. In the 200 meter backstroke, he finished sixth in the third heat by clocking 2:05.69 and finished 25th overall in the heats. In the 100 meter backstroke, he finished second in the third heat by clocking 57.67. He trained with the University of Michigan swim team under Jon Urbanchek while preparing for the 1996 Olympics.

Papa made his Olympic debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona while training with the Trojan Swim Club in Los Angeles, CA. In the 200 meter backstroke, Papa was disqualified after he had a problem in his preparation. He jumped into the swimming pool before the start of the heat but his googlies fell underwater. He struggled getting his googles back and when he went back to his starting mark he was disqualified by the referee for "deliberate delay". Protests from the crowd further delayed the start of the heat by a minute.

Other Papa still holds the Philippines record for the 200 meter backstroke event with the time of 2:00.96 which he set at the 1997 Southeast Asian Games. It was also the SEA games record for the event which remained unbroken until 2015 when Singapore's Quah Zheng Wen broke it by clocking 2:00.55.

Papa held the Philippine record for the 100 backstroke from 1997 to 2019. Jerard Jacinto broke the 22-year-old record.

At the 2014 Masters World Championships, he won 3 golds for the 50 meter backstroke, 100 meter backstroke, and 200 meter backstroke.

In the 1998 Asian Games, he won 2 bronze medals for the 100 meter backstroke and 200 meter backstroke.

In 1997 he was ranked 16th in the world for his 2:00.96 in the 200 meter backstroke, a gold in the SouthEast Asian Games.

Personal life Raymond Papa graduated from University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. For High school, he graduated in 1994 from the Mercersburg Academy. Raymond Papa speaks Filipino.