Otto Wahle

Otto Wahle - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of Otto Wahle

Otto Wahle (5 November 1879 – 11 August 1963) was an Austrian-American swimmer who took part in two Summer Olympic Games and won three medals. Wahle coached the men's US swim team at the 1912 Olympics, and the men's US water polo team at the 1920 and 1924 Olympics.

This profile of Otto Wahle covers 1900 Paris Olympics, 1000 metre Silver medal, 200 metre silver medal, 1904 St. Louis Olympics and 440-yard bronze medal.

1900 Paris Olympics of Otto Wahle

At age 20, Wahle participated in three events at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. He competed in the 200 metre freestyle and won his heat, but, for an unknown reason, he did not compete in the final.

1000 metre Silver medal of Otto Wahle

Otto Wahle entered the 1000 metre freestyle, finishing second behind Hungarian swimmer Zoltán Halmay, qualifying for the final the next day. In the final he was beaten by John Arthur Jarvis from Great Britain but finished ahead of Halmay to win the silver medal.

200 metre silver medal

Wahle also won a silver medal in the 200 metre obstacle event. After winning his heat, Wahle missed the gold medal by under two seconds to Australian swimmer Frederick Lane.

In 1901, Wahle moved to New York City and became a member of the legendary New York Athletic Club.

1904 St. Louis Olympics

Three years later, he competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics, held in St. Louis, Missouri, entering three events. He finished fourth in the 1 mile freestyle, and fifth in the 880 yard freestyle.

440-yard bronze medal

Wahle won a bronze medal in the 440 yard freestyle, finishing behind Americans Charles Daniels and Francis Gailey.

Career and Rise to Fame

In 1906, Wahle became a US citizen. He worked as the American swimming team coach for the 1912 Summer Olympics, where he coached future Gen. George S. Patton Jr. For the swimming portion of the pentathlon. At the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics, he was the coach of the American water polo team.

Wahle played a major role in the growth of swimming as a competitive sport in the United States and wrote many of the rules listed in early Amateur Athletic Union manuals.

He died in 1963 in Forest Hills, Queens, and was inducted in to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968. In 1990, he was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Wahle), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.