José Julio Barillas

The peak of José Julio Barillas’ athletic career came at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, when he was selected to represent Guatemala in three events. At the Games, he was eliminated in the first rounds of the 100 and 200 metres dashes and did not start in the long jump. By career he was a soccer player and physical education teacher, but he later immigrated to the United States and settled in New York, where he became active in the local Guatemalan community. In addition to directing the La Fe Funeral Home in Brooklyn, he helped found the Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce, the Culture House, and an umbrella organization for Guatemalan cultural bodies in New York, in addition to running a Spanish-language newspaper Aqui Guatemala.

Personal Bests: 100 – unknown; 200 – 22.88 (1952).