Biography of Alfred Hajos

Alfred Hajos (February 2, 1878 – November 12, 1955) was an Hungarian swimmer and architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion.

He was born in Budapest, Hungary as Arnold Guttmann. He was 13 years old when he felt compelled to become a good swimmer after his father drowned in the Danube River and then took the name Hajos (sailor in Hungarian) for his athletic career because it was an Hungarian name.

In 1896, Hajos was an architecture student in Hungary when the Athens Games took place. He was allowed to compete, but permission from the university to miss class had not come easy. When he returned to the Dean of the Polytechnical University, the dean did not congratulate Hajos on his Olympic success, but instead said: “Your medals are of no interest to me, but I am eager to hear your replies in your next examination.”

At the 1896 Games, the swimming events were held in the Mediterranean Sea battling the elements. The 18-year old Hajos won his two gold medals in extremely cold weather (the water temperature was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius) with 12-foot (4-metre) waves crashing down on him. He won the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 1:22.2 and the 1,200 metre freestyle in 18:22.2. Hajos wanted to win all three distances, but the 500 metre freestyle was immediately after the 100 and immediately before the 1,200. Before the 1200 metre race, he smeared his body with a half-inch (one centimetre) thick layer of grease, but it proved to be of little protection against the cold. He confessed after winning the race that, “my will to live completely overcame my desire to win.” While at a dinner honoring Olympic winners, the Crown Prince of Greece asked Hajos where he had learned to swim so well. Hajos replied, “In the water.” He was the youngest winner in Athens.

Prior to the Athens Olympics, Hajos was the 100 metre freestyle European swimming champion in 1895 and 1896. A versatile athlete, he won Hungary’s 100 metre sprint championship in 1898, as well as the National 400 metre hurdles and discus titles. He also played forward on Hungary’s national soccer championship teams of 1901, 1902, 1903.

In 1924, Hajos, an architect specializing in sport facilities, entered the art competitions at the Paris Olympic Games. His plan for a stadium, devised together Dezso Lauber (who played tennis in the 1908 Summer Olympics), was awarded the silver medal, although it is noteworthy that the jury did not award a gold medal in the competition.

The best known sports facility designed by Hajos is the swimming stadion built on the Margitsziget (Margaret Island) in the Danube in Budapest, which was built in 1930, and used for the 1958 European Swimming Championships.

In 1953, the International Olympic Committee awarded him the Olympic diploma of merit. He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

His brother Henrik Hajos won gold medal in 4×250 m Freestyle swimming at 1906 Olympic Games in Athens.