Gérard Blitz (1 August 1901 – 8 March 1979) was a Belgian Olympic swimmer and

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with t ...

player who competed at the 1920, 1924, 1928 and 1936 Olympics. He was the younger brother of Maurice Blitz, also a water polo player, and uncle of Gérard Blitz who founded Club Med in 1950.

Biography

At the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

Blitz won a bronze medal in the 100 m backstroke, and a silver medal with the Belgian water polo team, which also included his brother Maurice. He failed to reach the finals of the 100 m and 4 × 200 m freestyle events. On 16 September 1921 he set a

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book '' Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizati ...

in the 400 m backstroke at 5:59.2, that lasted until 1927. At the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

, the Blitz brothers were still part of the Belgian water polo squad. The team won another silver medal. Blitz also finished fourth in the 100 m backstroke swimming event. He had little luck at the 1928 Games, as his water polo team finished fifth, and he was eliminated in the heats of his swimming events. Eight years later, at the Berlin Games, he won his last Olympic medal, a bronze in water polo. He played all seven matches. Blitz was one of a number of Jewish athletes who won medals at the 1936 Nazi Olympics. Blitz died in 1979. In 1990 he was inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blitz, Gerard 1901 births 1979 deaths Belgian male freestyle swimmers Belgian male backstroke swimmers Belgian male water polo players Swimmers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1924 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1928 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1920 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1924 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1928 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers of Belgium Olympic water polo players of Belgium Olympic silver medalists for Belgium Olympic bronze medalists for Belgium Swimmers from Amsterdam Jewish swimmers Jewish water polo players Jewish Belgian sportspeople Belgian Jews Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Olympic medalists in water polo Dutch male freestyle swimmers Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in swimming

Biography

See also

References

External links