Johnny Weissmuller

Not long after the death of his father, Weissmuller came under the influence of a new father figure when he began to train at the Illinois Athletic Club under the guidance of William "Big Bill" Bachrach, already famous as the trainer of several Olympic swimming champions. According to Ralph Hickok, author of A Who's Who of Sports Champions, the red-mustachioed Bachrach, an imposing figure at 340 pounds, was a tough taskmaster. When Weissmuller asked Bachrach to train him, "Big Bill" laid out his conditions for doing so: "Swear that you'll work a year with me without question, and I'll take you on. You won't swim against anybody. You'll just be a slave, and you'll hate my guts, but in the end you just might break every record there is."

Bachrach's promise seemed strangely prophetic. In Weissmuller's first major competition, the 1921 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) outdoor championship, he handily won his very first race, the 50-yard freestyle swim. But that was just the beginning. Over the next three years, he won every race he entered. In the run-up to the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, twenty-year-old Weissmuller looked unbeatable. He was already the world record-holder for the 100-meter freestyle. In Paris he would compete with the defending Olympic champion, Duke Kahanamoku, who also represented the United States, and his younger brother, Sam. According to biographer David Fury, before the 100-meter event, Duke turned to Weissmuller and said: "Johnny, good luck. The most important thing in this race is to get the American flag up there three times. Let's do it!" And do it, they did. Weissmuller won the race, finishing in 59 seconds flat, winning the gold medal, followed closely by Duke and Sam Kahanamoku, who took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Two days before the 100-meter freestyle event in Paris, Weissmuller had taken gold in the 400-meter freestyle race. Later in the day of his 100-meter win, he swam as part of the winning U.S. team in the 800-meter relay. Weissmuller left Paris with three gold medals around his neck. Four years later at the summer games in Amsterdam, he carried the American flag at the opening ceremonies and went on to repeat his wins in the 100-meter freestyle and the 800-meter relay for a total of five gold medals at the two Olympics. Throughout the 1920s, Weissmuller was invincible in amateur competition, winning thirty-six national individual AAU championships and sixty-seven world championships. In 1924 he set a world record in the 100-meter freestyle, finishing in 57.4 seconds, and became the first swimmer to break the one-minute mark. His record in this event lasted for a decade. He was named American Swimmer of the Year in 1922, won the Helms Trophy in 1923, and was elected to the Helms Swimming Hall of Fame in 1949.