15 Facts About Otto Herschmann

Dr Otto Herschmann was an Austrian Jewish swimmer, fencer, lawyer, and sports official.

Otto Herschmann is one of only a few athletes who have won Olympic medals in multiple sports, having received a silver medal in swimming in 1896 and a silver medal in fencing in 1912.

Otto Herschmann worked as a lawyer, and served as president of the Austrian Olympic Committee and the Austrian Swimming Federation.

Otto Herschmann first competed at the initial modern Olympic Games, the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, at the age of 19 in the men's 100 metres freestyle swimming event.

Otto Herschmann placed second and won a silver medal, with a time of 1:22.8,0.6 seconds and half a metre behind the winner, Alfred Hajos, as the other swimmers trailed far behind.

Otto Herschmann returned to Olympic competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, competing as a member of Austria's sabre fencing team at the age of 35,16 years after he first won a medal.

At the time he won his fencing medal, Otto Herschmann was serving as President of the Austrian Olympic Committee, a position that he held from 1912 to 1914.

Otto Herschmann is the only person to win an Olympic medal while serving as president of a National Olympic Committee.

Otto Herschmann lauded the United States system for the quality of physical and mental training provided.

Otto Herschmann noted in contrast to the European system, high-quality training was provided to all athletes, not only those who lacked natural talent.

Otto Herschmann served as President of the Austrian Swimming Federation from 1914 to 1932.

Otto Herschmann was in private practice as a lawyer in the 1940s.

Otto Herschmann was persecuted during the era of the Nazis because he was Jewish.

On 14 January 1942, Otto Herschmann was deported from Vienna to the General Government region of German-occupied Poland, where he died shortly after.

Otto Herschmann was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.