 Barbosa celebrated his greatest indoor success at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, where he won gold over 800m.At the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Toronto he entered the 800m final as a favourite but dropped out after colliding with Nico Motchebon.Barbosa was head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon for 5 1/2 years.