At the age of only 18, Rom Gabrielsen won the 1935 ASA 100 yards freestyle title, and established a new English national record of 54.4. His victory turned out to be his only national title, but he enjoyed three other podium finishes. He was second in the 100 in 1936 and 1937 and, in the first of those years, was third on the 220. Gabrielsen did, however, win many Kent and Southern area titles. He worked for a City of London Insurance Company and in 1939 left Britain to take up a post in Calcutta. He continued swimming, and only a couple of months after arriving in India, knocked more the six seconds off the Calcutta Swimming Club’s 100 yards freestyle record.
Great Britain