Bernardo TOBAR ANTE

Bernardo Tobar was a pistol shooter from Colombia who competed at the 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympics. He competed in 11 pistol events and never won a medal, but he finished in the top eight three times, to earn diplomas. However, Tobar was a legend in South American shooting circles.

At the Central American and Caribbean Games, Tobar won 29 medals, which is an all-time record for most medals at those games, in any sport (through 2018). Of the 29, nine were gold medals. At the Pan American Games he won 12 shooting medals, with three golds. The 12 Pan American medals is the most ever by any Colombian athlete and ranks him =7th all-time among shooters at those games. His totals for both events were increased by team events, but remarkable nonetheless. To all this, he added a gold medal in air pistol at the 1990 World Championships.

Tobar’s son, Bernardo Julian Tobar Prado, also became a top pistol shooter, competing at the World Championships from 1997-2018. While returning from training one day, Tobar Prado was stopped on a Colombian highway by robbers who brandished pistols at his car, which was a bad career move. Tobar Prado promptly took out his sport pistol and shot both dead. Ruled to be in self-defense, no charges were brought against Tobar Prado.