First Modern Olympic Swimming Events
Athens 1896 races in the cold open water of the Bay of Zea
Overview
The 1896 Games held swimming in the sea at the Bay of Zea, with water around 13 degrees and swimmers brought out by boat and told to swim to shore. Alfred Hajos of Hungary won the 100 m and 1200 m freestyle events. The scene established open water racing as the improbable starting point of Olympic pool history.
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