Richard Phillip Colella, Jr. (born December 14, 1951)[1] is an American former breaststroke swimmer who represented the United States at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1972.
 Colella in 1972 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Phillip Colella, Jr. |
| Nickname | "Rick" |
| National team | United States |
| Born | December 14, 1951 Seattle, Washington |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Breaststroke |
| Club | Totem Lake Swim Club |
| College team | University of Washington |
Medal record | |
Colella's sister Lynn was also an Olympic swimmer. In 1971 Richard and Lynn won the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Man of the Year award.[2]
1972, 1976 Olympics
editColella finished fourth in the final of the men's 200-meter breaststroke at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, he finished third and received the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, his signature event.
Colella and his wife Terry have raised four children, Elise, Mariel, Brian and Angie. For the past twenty years, the Colellas have dedicated themselves to raising money for research to find a cure for facioscapulohumeral disease (FSHD), a common form of muscular dystrophy that affects their son Brian. They formed FSH Friends, an organization that they run out of their home. They work to raise money and put on an annual auction gala that takes place the beginning of February. They've also co-sponsored local workshops, bringing researchers together from around the world, to help move the research forward.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit
- ^ Rick Colella. sports-reference.com.
- ^ Dan Raley (July 15, 2008) Where Are They Now? Colella left hanging on swimming replay. Seattle P-I
- ^ Friends of FSH Research. fshfriends.org
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