Charles Meldrum Daniels (March 24, 1885 – August 9, 1973) was an American competition

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 ...

, eight-time Olympic medalist, and world record-holder in two

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

swimming events. Daniels was an innovator of the

front crawl The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a f ...

swimming style, inventing the "

American crawl The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a f ...

". Daniels began his swimming career with the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Travers ...

in 1903. At the

1904 Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...

in St. Louis, Missouri, Daniels became the first American to win an Olympic medal, winning gold medals in both the 220- and 440-yard freestyle races. Four years later, at the

1908 Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

in London, Daniels won gold in the 100-meter freestyle. Daniels was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1965.

References

External links

*
"Eight Swimming Marks for Daniels"
''New York Times'', January 1, 1911 {{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Charles 1885 births 1973 deaths American male freestyle swimmers Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Dayton, Ohio Swimmers at the 1904 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1906 Intercalated Games Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1906 Intercalated Games

See also

References

External links