Ernst Vierkötter
Ernst Vierkötter (born August 14, 1901 in Cologne , † December 13, 1967 in Toronto , Canada ) made a name for himself in the 1920s as a German long-distance swimmer and was the record holder for swimming through the English Channel for 20 years .
Ernst Vierkötter was the son of a baker. After attending school, he studied for two years at Cologne University for a ministry career. In 1922 he surprisingly became the German swimming champion in the 500 m freestyle competition. At the age of 26, on August 30, 1926, he managed to cross the 32-kilometer-wide English Channel from France in 12:42 hours .
This success encouraged Vierkötter to take part in other competitions for which prizes were awarded in North America . He finished there in several swimming competitions over long distances in Canada, so
- in July 1927 2nd place in the marathon swimming in Lake George . He gave up in this position shortly before the goal.
- 1st place in the swimming marathon in Toronto on August 31, 1927. He covered the distance of 21 miles in 11:45 hours and received prize money of 30,000 US dollars .
- 1928 2nd place in the marathon swimming in Toronto in the course shortened to 15 miles.
- 1929 again second place in the marathon swimming in Toronto.
- 1930 5th place in the same competition.
Vierkötter, who spoke three languages, stayed in Canada and used the prize money to build a life with a swimming school in Toronto.
In 1927 the Berlin sports journalists honored him with their " Golden Ribbon ".
Web links
- Ernst Vierkoetter (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Vierkötter, Ernst |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German long-distance swimmer, at times record holder on the English Channel |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 14, 1901 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cologne |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 13, 1967 |
| Place of death | Toronto |