Alfred Nakache

Alfred Nakache (born 1915, died 1983) was a Jewish French swimmer and water polo player. A member of the French team for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic Games, he also swam in the 1948 London Summer Olympics. He is one of two Jewish athletes to have competed in the Olympics after surviving the Holocaust.

Swimming Highlights

• He set the world record in the 200m breaststroke in 2:36.8[2] on 6 July 1941 in the long course seawater pool in Catalans in Marseilles.
• With Alexandre Jany and Georges Vallerey Jr., he broke the world record for 3x100m medley on 8 August 1946.
• He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2019.
• He was the subject of a French documentary in 2001, entitled Alfred Nakache, the Swimmer of Auschwitz and the 2017 French documentary entitled “Nage Libre”, directed by Thierry Lashéras, co-produced by EVA Productions and France Télévisions.

Records & Championships

• World record in the 200m butterfly in 1941
• World record relay in the 3 x 100m 3 strokes in 1946
• European record in the 100m butterfly in 1941
• French record in the 400m butterfly in 1943
• French record in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay in 1946
• French Champion—100m freestyle in 1935–38 and 1941–42
• French Champion—200m freestyle in 1937–38 and 1941–42
• French Champion—200m butterfly in 1938, 1941–42, and 1946
• French Champion—400m freestyle in 1942
• French Champion—relay 4 x 200m freestyle in 1937–39, 1942, 1944–52 (13 titles, including 9 consecutive)
• University champion—100m freestyle in 1936
• Champion of North Africa—100m freestyle in 1931

(Maccabiah Games silver medal in 1935–100m freestyle

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