Alfred Nakache

Alfred Nakache (November 18, 1915 in Constantine, Algeria – 1983) was a French swimmer and water polo player, who was also known as Artem.

wimming career

Between 1936 and 1946, Nakache won the French 100-Meter Freestyle 6 times, the 200-Meter Freestyle 4times, the 200-Meter Breaststroke 4 times, and an assortment of other French swimming titles, many of them setting national records.

Nakache was a member of France’s Olympic Swimming Teams of 1936 and 1948.

Nakache competed for France at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay. In the preliminaries, the French team won its heat with Nakache swimming the second leg. They advanced to the finals and finished 4th, just missing a medal. In 1941, Nakache set the World 200-Meter Breaststroke record (2:36.8) in Marseilles and was one-third of the French 3 x 100 relay team that established a World record in August 1946 (3:19.9) at Toulouse. Only one month later, they lowered their relay mark to 3:12.3 in Marseilles.

His aquatic career was interrupted and put on hold during the German occupation of France during World War II.

Following his defeat of the German champion, Joachim Balke, en route to his World Breaststroke record in 1941, and soon after setting another European swimming record, a French journalist wrote: “The Jew Nakache should not be allowed to hold any European titles because he is Jewish.”

All sorts of subterfuges were employed to keep Nakache from competing in German-occupied France, though some other French swimmers withdrew from National competitions in support of their fellow athlete.

In spite of this support, Nakache was eventually arrested and deported with his wife, also a ranking swimmer, and their 2-year-old daughter to Auschwitz in January 1944. Of the 1,368 men, women, and children in their death camp convoy, only 47 survived. His wife and daughter perished.

Nakache’s triumph in setting the 3 x 100 World Relay record in 1946 occurred less than a year after his liberation from Auschwitz.

Nakache returned to the Olympics 12 years later at the 1948 London Games (there were no Games in 1940 or 1944 due to World War II) as a member of France's swim team. He competed in the 200-meter breaststroke and finished 2nd in his qualifying heat with a time of 2:50.7. He advanced to the semifinals, but no further.

He also played Olympic water polo for France in 1948. They defeated Greece (7-1) and tied Egypt (3-3) to advance to the final round. They finished in 6th place overall.

Records & championships

*World -- 200 m butterfly -- 1941
*World -- relay 3 X 100 m3 strokes -- 1946
*Europe -- 100 m butterfly -- 1941
*France -- 400 m butterfly -- 1943
*France -- relay 4 X 200 m freestyle -- 1946

*Champion of France -- 100 m freestyle in 1935-38, and 1941-42
*Champion of France -- 200 m freestyle in 1937-38, and 1941-42
*Champion of France -- 200 m butterfly in 1938, 1941-42, and 1946
*Champion of France -- 400 m freestyle in 1942
*Champion of France -- relay 4 X 200 m freestyle in 1937-39, 1942, 1944-52 (13 titles, including 9 consecutive)
*University champion -- 100 m freestyle in 1936
*Champion of North Africa -- 100 m freestyle in 1931

Maccabiah Games silver medal in 1935 -- 100 m freestyle

Hall of Fame

Nakache was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Miscellaneous

Nakache was the subject of a French documentary in 2001, entitled "Alfred Nakache, the Swimmer of Auschwitz".

Links

* [http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/AlfredNakache.htm Jewish Sports bio]
* [http://www.jewsinsports.org/olympics.asp?sport=olympics&ID=69 Jews in Sports bio]
* [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nakache Wiki French bio]