Paul Neumann (swimmer)

Paul Neumann
Medal record
Representing  Austrian Empire
Men's swimming
Olympic Games
1896 Athens 500 m freestyle

Paul Neumann (13 June 1875 in Vienna – 9 February 1932 in Vienna) was an Austrian swimmer and physician, who competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens and became the first Austrian gold medalist ever.

Biography

Neumann was Jewish,[1] and born in Vienna. He competed in the 500 and 1,200 metres freestyle events. He won the 500 with a time of 8:12.6, benefitting from the withdrawal of Alfréd Hajós from the event. Hajós had just won the 100 metres, and skipped the 500 in order to prepare for the 1,200. Neumann had no opportunity to rest between the 500 and the 1,200. As a result, he was unable to finish the longer race.

In 1897, he set world records at 2, 3, 4, and 5 miles.[2]

He immigrated to the U.S. after the 1896 Olympic Games. There, he became a physician, and earned a Ph.D. in philosophy.[3]

See also

References

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