Cartonnet & A Torrid Tale Of Collaboration With A Link To His Rival Nakache, 'The Swimmer Of Auschwitz'
The trouble with Jacques Cartonnet’s story of swimming 'fame' is that it holds hands with infamy. Among the facts is a question that hangs over him to this day, long after he was sentenced to death for collaborating with the Nazis before he escaped…
Jacques Cartonnet was a pioneer of breaststroke pace for France in the 1930s. He set four global standards in the 100 and, on May 4, 1935, he took the top 200m speed below 2 mins 40 secs for the first time.
His 2:39.6 was swum in a short-course pool in an era when there was no distinction between pools 25m, 50m, or equivalent yard distances when it came to recognising records.
The trouble with Cartonnet’s story of swimming 'fame' is that it holds hands with infamy. Among the facts is a question that hangs over him to this day, long after he was sentenced to death for collaborating with the Nazis before he escaped…
