Enrique Leite Explained

Birth Date:12 December 1963
Birth Place:Villa del Cerro, Montevideo, Uruguay

Enrique Leite (born December 12, 1963) is a physical education teacher, swimming coach, lifeguard and an Uruguayan sprint canoeist who competed in the early 1990s. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, he was eliminated in the repechages of both the K-1 500 m and the K-1 1000 m events.

Swimming career

South American Championships

In 1979 he won a bronze medal in the South American Swimming Championship in São Paulo, Brazil.

For the 1982 South American Swimming Championship in La Paz, Bolivia, he became the first Uruguayan male swimmer in obtaining a gold medal for Uruguay: he gold in the 400m individual medley and 200m breaststroke, a silver for 200m individual medley with a final count of seven medals including the Uruguayan team relays.

In 1984 South American Swimming Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he won bronze for the 400m individual medley.

In 1986 he was a water polo player for the Uruguay National Team at the South American Water Polo Championship in Santiago, Chile.

South American Games

As a Uruguayan Team swimmer participated in South American Games in Buenos Aires 1980, Medellìn 1981 (silver in the 400m individual medley and 200m breaststroke, and bronze in the 200m individual medley among other Uruguay relays medals.

In 1982 was a member of the Uruguayan National Swimming team for the South American Games in Rosario, Argentina where was gold for the 400m individual medley and 200m breaststroke among other medals obtained individually and as a member of the Uruguay relays team.

Pan American Games

Participated as a swimmer for the Uruguay national team at the 1979 Pan American Games and the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela.

World Championships

Participated in the 1982 World Aquatics Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Olympics

In 1980 was named to be a member of the Uruguayan national swimming team for the Moscow Olympics but finally Uruguay adhered to the Boycott and did not participate in those games.

Canoeing career

In 1988 while studying physical education, started practicing flat water kayaking on his brother's recommendation. As a paddler, was part of the Uruguayan National Canoeing team for the World Canoeing Championship in Poznan, Poland 1990 and Paris 1991 as well as for the Pre-Olympics at Barcelona in 1991.

In 1991 was a member of the Uruguayan National Canoeing Team for the 1991 Pan American Games in La Habana, Cuba, where he placed fifth for the K1-1000m, which qualified him to be in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Personal life

Enrique Leite is the only athlete in Uruguay in making the national team for Pan American Games or Olympics in two different sport disciplines, swimming and canoeing.

As a swimming coach he had taken the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club Summer Swimming team to the first place in 1984.

In 2008 and 2009 Optimist South American Championships held in Paracas- Perú and Salinas- Ecuador he was the Team Leader of the Uruguayan National Optimist Team

References