Simone Barlaam (born 12 July 2000) is an Italian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. He is a thirteen time World champion and eight time European champion.[1][2] He competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, winning a gold medal.[3]
Personal life
editBarlaam was born with a coxa vara and congenital hypoplasia in his right femur which means that his right leg doesn't develop resulting in his right leg shorter than his left leg. Coxa vara was caused by doctors who performed a podalic version procedure while he was in utero but his leg broke which doctors knew nothing about. During his childhood, he went through thirteen surgeries to correct his right leg.[4]
Swimming career
editBarlaam began Paralympic swimming when he was fifteen years old and won his first medals at the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico City. He swims and trains with other able-bodied swimmers.[5][6][7]
At the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, Barlaam secured a “golden hat-trick” by winning three gold medals, including the men’s 400 m freestyle S9 with a time of 4:13.33. [8]
References
edit- ↑ "Simone Barlaam - IPC Profile". ipc.infostradasports.com. 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ↑ "Italian Para swimmer Barlaam sets three world records at national meeting". www.insidethegames.biz. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ↑ "Simone Barlaam Has Won #gold in #ParaSwimming - Men's 50m Freestyle - S9 at the ... - Latest Tweet by Tokyo Olympics 2020 | 🏆 LatestLY". LatestLY. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ↑ "The story of Barlaam: "I'm not a Paralympic athlete but an athlete and that's it"". xsport.news. 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ↑ "Simone Barlaam, a Fighting Fish in Search of Tokyo 2020". iItaly. 12 February 2019.
- ↑ "Simone Barlaam, para swimmer, more world records". The Tartan. 29 September 2019.
- ↑ "Simone Barlaam - Swimming | Paralympic Athlete Profile". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- ↑ "Singapore 2025: Golden hat-trick for Italian superstar Barlaam". International Paralympic Committee. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
External links
edit- Simone Barlaam at the International Paralympic Committee
- Simone Barlaam at the Comitato Italiano Paralimpico (in Italian)
- Para Swimmer Simone Barlaam dreams of designing prosthetics at Olympics.com