Julio Abreu

Emilio Julio Abreu was a Paraguayan swimmer and pastor who was considered to be one of the best swimmers from his country. He won multiple national and international competitions. Abreu represented his country at the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia, and at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he was the nation’s flagbearer.

In the 1970s, Abreu studied economics, marketing, and political science at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in the United States. Whilst studying, Abreu was part of the IUP Crimson Hawks, the varsity athletic teams of the university, where he set multiple team records. In 1999, he became the first overseas student to be inducted into the IUP’s Hall of Fame.

In 1983, Abreu returned to Paraguay. Three years later he started a bible study with his wife, which expanded to 7,000 members across nine different churches. He also wrote several books and he composed religious songs.