Arne Borg - Sweden's 'Big Bad Man' Of The Distance Pool Who Took On The World & Won
The 1928 Olympic 1500m freestyle champion set 32 World records on distances from 300m to 1500m and claimed as the premier endurance beast of the 1920s, with 5 Olympic medals and 5 European titles among 8 podiums at the first two continental championships
Claes Arne Borg was born on August 18, 1901, in Vallentuna, near the Swedish capital Stockholm. He would become one of the greatest pioneers of distance-freestyle swimming in history: his 32 world records, set between 1921 and 1929, held hands with five Olympic medals, including the 1928 gold five 1500m.
One of the big stars of 1920s swimming, Borg, who swam for the Stockholms KK swim club, claimed 30 nations titles between 1919 and 2029, including nine over 500m freestyle, among events that ceased to exist after the 1950s.
