Editor’s note: Johnny Weissmuller was one of the greatest swimmers of the first half of the 20th century. After his Olympic swimming career — which netted him numerous gold medals — he gained great acclaim on the silver screen, playing Tarzan in a dozen movies.

John Weissmuller

Chicago’s 18 year old swimming marvel

When John isn’t breaking swimming records, he’s breaking his back over a set of ledgers earning cakes t’eat

Johnny Weissmuller, the human fish, seems to have designs on every swimming record in the books, and, incidentally, he has been clipping seconds off events up to 500 yards. This lad is still in his teens and it is his first season in competition. Wait until he grows up.

He is an Australian by birth, born in Vienna some 18 years ago. [TCW editorial note: He’s Austrian!] His family came to this country and located in Chicago. A life guard at one of the Lake beaches taught him a few strokes and at 13 our hero was swimming on a team at the Y.M.C.A.

Weissmuller is big but not awkward out or in the water. He stands over 6 feet one inch and weighs around 170, but he is a shy and retiring youngster.

Like all great swimmers of the past, he has a big pair of hands and feet — the requisite of every swimmer.

Weissmuller is just out of high school where he had been swimming a little in school meets. It was not until last Spring that he began to attract attention.

His development has been so rapid since then that he has shattered over a score of the world’s records and experts complain that he has not yet reached his best form.

His perfection and perfect harmony of stroke and beat in executing the Australian crawl is the secret of his speed.

Johnny keeps books in the summer but intends entering college in the fall.

Originally published in the Lakeland Evening Telegram, April 17, 1922.