Alfred Nakache

Alfred Nakache swam at the 1936 Olympics and then returned from the horrors of World War II to compete at London in 1948. Nakache was born in Algeria to a traditional Jewish family. He became a swimmer and won seven French national titles between 1935-38, also representing France at the 1935 Maccabiah Games in the 100 freestyle and water polo. In 1938 he helped the French team win a silver medal in the 4x200 metre freestyle relay at the European Championships.

In 1939 Nakache joined the Free French Army, serving for 10 months in Algeria. In December 1940 Nakache and his wife fled Paris with most other Jews, and he helped the French Resistance in Toulouse. In late 1943 Nakache, his wife, Paule, and their baby, Annie, were held in a Toulouse prison and then deported to Auschwitz. Paule and Annie were gassed within two weeks of their arrival.

Somehow Nakache survived Auschwitz, and in 1945 was among those inmates sent on the death march to Buchenwald, although he also lived through that.

After the war, Nakache returned to the water, although he weighed only 40 kg when he started training. He made it back to the 1948 Olympics, swimming the 200 metre breaststroke. He lived in southern France where he taught swimming and was a teacher.

Nakache died in 1983 after suffering a heart attack while swimming. At his request, his gravestone bore not only his own name but those of Paule and Annie. The pool in Toulouse was formally named La Piscine Alfred Nakache in 2018.