Horaţiu Bădiţă was considered the fastest swimmer ever in Romanian water polo, which was his primary sport. But Romania did not qualify for the Olympics during his career so he swam the 4x100 freestyle relay at the 1996 Olympics. Bădiţă’s father, Alexandru Bădiţă, did compete for Romania in water polo at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics. His brother, Cezar Bădiţă, swam at the 2000 Olympics. Horaţiu Bădiţă won several national titles in both swimming and water polo and later became a swim instructor. He died quite young from a brain tumor.
Romania