Arul Swami

Long-distance runner Christopher Sebastian Arul Swami represented India at the 1936 Berlin Games. Swami had an eventful journey to the Games with him catching paratyphoid fever in Malta. When he eventually reached Berlin he was taken to the Olympic Village on a stretcher before being transferred to a hospital where he spent the next three weeks. Despite losing almost 15 kgs he convinced the doctors to discharge him so he could compete in the marathon. Swami finished 37th out of the 42 athletes who completed the course before collapsing and was taken back to the hospital. Thankfully he made a full recovery and later became a football referee, in addition to working as a sports journalist for more than 40 years.

Personal Best: Mar – unknown.