Charlotte Archdeacon matches the 1928 Olympic record

In the recent Shropshire County Trials Charlotte Archdeacon, age 13, one of the Wasps most promising young swimmers, recorded a time for the 100 metres freestyle of 1 minute and 8.71 seconds (1:08.71).  This was a full 2.29 seconds below the gold medallist at the 1928 Olympics.  Miss A Osipowitch from the USA who took the gold medal in 1928 in the 100 metres freestyle for women in 1 minute 11 seconds (1:11.00).

If Charlotte had only been 13 in 1928 she’d have taken the gold medal.

Charlotte’s next challenge is to beat the time set for the gold medal attempt in the 1932 Olympics of 1 minute 6.8 seconds (1:06.8).

Robert Flack beats Tarzan

In the recent Shropshire County Time trials, leading Wasp and member of the Great Britain Modern Pentathlon team, Robert Flack recorded a time in the 400 metres freestyle of 4 minutes 49.82 seconds (4:49.82).  This was more than 15 seconds faster than Tarzan himself Johnny Weissmuller, from the USA, recorded when he picked up the gold medal in the 1924 Olympics with a time of 5 minutes 4.20 seconds (5:04.20).

Weissmuller went onto win 5 Olympic swimming gold medals – breaking 3 world records in the process. Between 1924 and 1928 he remained unbeaten in official competition and was widely regarded to be the world’s greatest swimmer for a generation.

Johnny Weissmuller went on to become a Hollywood legend playing Tarzan throughout the late 20’s and early 30’s.

<<<< Return to other news articles