Alfred Nakache

Alfred "Artem" Nakache (18 November 1915 – 4 August 1983) was a French swimmer and water polo player. A member of the French team for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic Games, he also swam in the first post-war Summer Olympics in London in 1948. He, Agnes Keleti, and Ben Helfgott are the only known Jewish athletes to have competed in the Olympics after surviving the Holocaust.

Biography Nakache was the second child of an eleven children Jewish family, who had migrated to Algeria from Iraq in the 19th century. Though he initially had a fear of water, he managed to overcome it. In 1931, he won the Constantine Christmas Cup.

After his first local swimming competitions, in which he was not even aware he had to follow the lane lines, Nakache progressed rapidly. In 1933, he participated in his first French championships, and moved to Paris at the end of the summer. on 6 July 1941 in the long course seawater pool in Catalans in Marseilles. Since FINA at the time recognised world records set in either short course (25 metre) or long course (50 metre) pools for the 200 metre breaststroke, his record was easily broken by Joe Verdeur in 1946 in a short course pool. If records were measured as they are today in long and short course pools, Verdeur would have broken Nakache's long course world record of 2:36.8 in 1948 at the US Olympic trials with a time of 2:36.3. With Alexandre Jany and Georges Vallerey Jr., he broke the world record for 3 X 100m medley on 8 August 1946.

When Philippe Pétain abolished the Crémieux Decree, as an Algerian Jew, Nakache was stripped of his French nationality. As teachers and as Jews, he and his wife had to leave Paris in order to continue working, and settled with their daughter in Toulouse. He joined underground resistance networks in Toulouse, including the Jewish Army.

The sports commissioner for the Vichy regime, Jean Borotra, took Nakache on a tour of French North Africa, and Nakache was chosen several times to participate in the flag-raising ceremony. In 1942, Nakache won five French championship titles in the 200m breaststroke, 4 x 200m freestyle relay, and the 100m, 200m, and 400m freestyle.

Though Nakache was initially prominent during the occupation of France for his records and became one of the country's most decorated swimmers, he was gradually denounced as a Jew by the collaborationist press. Finally, he was banned from the pool during French championships in Toulouse in 1943, leading to a boycott by his teammates from the local swimming club.

On 20 November 1943, following a denunciation, Nakache and his family were arrested by the Gestapo. He was held captive at the Saint-Michel Prison in Toulouse, before being sent to the Drancy internment camp.

The family were deported to Auschwitz on Convoy No. 66 out of Drancy, leaving Bobigny station on 20 January 1944. They arrived at Auschwitz three days later, and Nakache was physically separated from his wife and daughter, never to see them again.

Nakache was assigned to the camp infirmary, where he was able to receive food rations intended for the sick.

In January 1945, as Auschwitz was evacuated while the Red Army advanced, Nakache was sent on a death march, ultimately ending up in Buchenwald, where he was liberated by American troops in April 1945.

Alfred was the only one of his family to survive the Holocaust.

Alfred later married a woman named Marie. After ending his career in Reunion Island, he died in Cerbère, France on 4 August 1983, after becoming ill while swimming in the port. He was buried in the Le Py cemetery in Sète.

Legacy Nakache was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2019.

Nakache was the subject of two French documentaries: Alfred Nakache, the Swimmer of Auschwitz (2001) , directed by Christian Meunier, and Nage Libre (2017), directed by Thierry Lashéras, coproduced by EVA Productions and France Télévisions, with the participation of French Olympic swimmer Fabien Gilot, in the steps of Nakache. His life inspired the 2024 French Oscar-nominated short animated film Butterfly (Papillon) by Florence Miailhe, whose father knew Nakache during the war.

Records and championships World—200 m butterfly—1941 World—relay 3 X 100 m3 strokes—1946 Europe—100 m butterfly—1941 France—400 m butterfly—1943 France—relay 4 X 200 m freestyle—1946 Champion of France—100 m freestyle in 1935–38, and 1941–42 Champion of France—200 m freestyle in 1937–38, and 1941–42 Champion of France—200 m butterfly in 1938, 1941–42, and 1946 Champion of France—400 m freestyle in 1942 Champion of France—relay 4 X 200 m freestyle in 1937–39, 1942, 1944–52 (13 titles, including 9 consecutive) University champion—100 m freestyle in 1936 Champion of North Africa—100 m freestyle in 1931

Maccabiah Games silver medal in 1935–100 m freestyle