Claes Arne Borg (18 August 1901 – 7 November 1987) was a
Swedish swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
.
He is best known for breaking 32 world records and winning five Olympic medals in the 1920s. In 1926 Borg won the
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal (, but usually simply called ''Bragdguldet'', "The Feat Gold") is an annual award "for the most significant Sweden, Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury led by the Swedish morning ...
, shared with
Edvin Wide
Emil Edvin Wide (22 February 1896 – 19 June 1996) was a Swedish middle-distance and long-distance runner.
Biography
Born in Finland as Emil Edvin Hermansson, Wide moved to Sweden in 1918. He competed for Sweden at the 1920 Summer Olympics in ...
. Next year, at the 1927 European Championships, he set a new world record in the 1500 m at 19:07.2, which stood for nearly 11 years. Besides swimming, Borg also won a European silver medal in
water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
in 1926. His twin brother
Ã…ke was also an Olympic medalist in swimming.
[Arne Borg]
sports-reference.com
At the end of his swimming career, Borg turned professional and toured with aquatic shows. After that, he worked as a swimming coach and ran his tobacco shop in Stockholm.
Swedish Olympic Committee He was very popular among Swedish swimming fans. After avoiding his
conscription
Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
and being briefly imprisoned, fans brought him food and gifts, and he was noted to have gained wright in prison.
Borg died in 1987 in
Vallentuna
Vallentuna is the seat of Vallentuna Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden, with 33,219 inhabitants in 2018. Vallentuna's cultural landscape is well preserved, and human habitation in the area has been traced back as far as the Stone Age. Arche ...
.
His daughter
Inga Borg (1925–2017) was a children's book writer.
See also
*
List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame is a history museum and hall of fame, serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around the world.
List of the members of the International Swimming Hall ...
*
World record progression 400 metres freestyle
The first world record in the men's 400 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1908. In the short course (25 metres) swimming events the world's governing ...
*
World record progression 800 metres freestyle
The first world record in the women's 800 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawren ...
*
World record progression 1500 metres freestyle
The first world record in the men's 1500 metres freestyle in a long course (50 metres) swimming pool was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1908
This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borg, Arne
1901 births
1987 deaths
Swimmers from Stockholm
Swedish male water polo players
Olympic swimmers for Sweden
Swimmers at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for Sweden
Olympic silver medalists for Sweden
Olympic bronze medalists for Sweden
Swedish twins
World record setters in swimming
Olympic bronze medalists in swimming
Swedish male freestyle swimmers
European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Stockholms KK swimmers
Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists in swimming
Olympic silver medalists in swimming
20th-century Swedish sportsmen
Sportspeople convicted of crimes