George Kojac
Buster Crabbe, George Kojac, Ray Ruddy and Johnny Weissmuller in 1928
Personal information
Full nameGeorge Harold Kojac
National team United States
Born(1910-03-02)March 2, 1910
New York, New York, U.S.
DiedMay 28, 1996(1996-05-28) (aged 86)
Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke, freestyle
ClubBoys' Club of New York
College teamRutgers University
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1928 Amsterdam 100 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1928 Amsterdam 4×200 m freestyle

George Harold Kojac (March 2, 1910 – May 28, 1996) was an American competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events.

Kojac represented the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.[1] As a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, he received a gold medal.[1] Kojac and teammates Austin Clapp, Walter Laufer and Johnny Weissmuller set a new world record of 9:36.2 in the event final.[1][2] Individually, he won another gold medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke with a second world record time of 1:08.2.[1][3] He also finished fourth in the men's 100-meter freestyle in 1:00.8.[1][4]

Kojac was born to Ukrainian immigrants. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School, and learned to swim in the East River in New York. In 1931 he graduated from the Rutgers University and missed the 1932 Olympics because of his studies at Columbia Medical School. During his swimming career Kojac set 23 world records. In 1968 he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.[1][5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, George Kojac Archived November 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, United States Swimming at the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Games Archived February 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  3. ↑ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Games, Men's 100 metres Backstroke Final Archived November 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  4. ↑ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Games, Men's 100 metres Freestyle Final Archived November 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  5. ↑ "George Kojac (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
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