Otto_Wahle

Otto Wahle

Otto Wahle

Austrian swimmer

Otto Wahle (5 November 1879 – 11 August 1963) was an Austrian-American swimmer[1] who took part in two Summer Olympic Games and won a total of three medals.[2] Wahle coached the men's US swim team at the 1912 Olympics, and the men's US water polo team at the 1920 and 1924 Olympics.[3]

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Swimming career

At age 20, Wahle competed in three events at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[1][4] He competed in the 200 metre freestyle and won his heat, but, for an unknown reason, he did not compete in the final.[5] He also entered the 1000 metre freestyle; in his heat he came second behind Hungarian swimmer Zoltán Halmay, but he still qualified for the final the next day.[6] In the final he was beaten by John Arthur Jarvis from Great Britain but finished ahead of Halmay to win the silver medal.[7] Wahle also won a silver medal in the 200 metre obstacle event. After winning his heat,[8] Wahle missed the gold medal by under two seconds to Australian swimmer Frederick Lane.[9]

In 1901, Wahle moved to New York City and was taken in by the New York Athletic Club.[2][10] Three years later, he competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics.[11][1] The Games were held in St. Louis, Missouri, and again Wahle entered three events. He finished in fourth place in the 1 mile freestyle,[12] and he finished in fifth place in the 880 yard freestyle.[13] Wahle won a bronze medal in the 440 yard freestyle, finishing behind Charles Daniels and Francis Gailey.[14]

Coaching career and later life

In 1906, Wahle became a US citizen. He became the American swimming team coach for the 1912 Summer Olympics, where he coached future Gen. George S. Patton Jr. for the swimming event in the pentathlon.[15] At the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics, he was the coach of the American water polo team.[2][10]

Wahle played a major role in the growth of swimming as a competitive sport in the United States and wrote many of the rules listed in early Amateur Athletic Union manuals.[15]

He died in 1963 in Forest Hills, Queens, and was inducted in to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968.[10][2] In 1990, he was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Horvitz, P.S. (2007). The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. SPI Books. p. 182. ISBN 9781561719075. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. [2]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Otto Wahle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  3. [3]
    "Otto Wahle". Olympedia. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  4. [4]
    Wechsler, B. (2008). Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House. p. 225. ISBN 9780881259698. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  5. [5]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Swimming at the 1900 Paris Summer Games: Men's 200 metres Freestyle Semi-Finals". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  6. [6]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Swimming at the 1900 Paris Summer Games: Men's 1,000 metres Freestyle Semi-Finals". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  7. [7]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Swimming at the 1900 Paris Summer Games: Men's 1,000 metres Freestyle Final". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  8. [8]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Swimming at the 1900 Paris Summer Games: Men's 200 metres Obstacle Course Semi-Finals". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  9. [9]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Swimming at the 1900 Paris Summer Games: Men's 200 metres Obstacle Course Final". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  10. [10]
    "Otto Wahle". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  11. [11]
    Spalding's Athletic Almanac. 1903. p. 39. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  12. [12]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Swimming at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Games: Men's One Mile Freestyle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  13. [13]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Swimming at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Games: Men's 880 yard Freestyle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  14. [14]
    Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Swimming at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Games: Men's 440 yard Freestyle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  15. [15]
    "Otto Wahle Dies; Olympic Swimmer". The New York Times. Vol. CXII, no. 38552, pg 31. 11 August 1963.
  16. [16]
    "Otto Wahle (1990)". usawaterpolo.org. USA Water Polo. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  17. [17]
    "Hall of Fame Inductees". usawaterpolo.org. USA Water Polo. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
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