Arne Borg

Claes Arne Borg (18 August 1901 – 7 November 1987) was a Swedish swimmer. He is best known for breaking 32 world records and winning five Olympic medals in the 1920s. In 1926 Borg won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal, shared with Edvin Wide. Next year, at the 1927 European Championships, he set a new world record in the 1500 m at 19:07.2, which stood for nearly 11 years. Besides swimming, Borg also won a European silver medal in water polo in 1926. His twin brother Åke was also an Olympic medalist in swimming. At the end of his swimming career, Borg turned professional and toured with aquatic shows. After that, he worked as a swimming coach and ran his tobacco shop in Stockholm. He was very popular among Swedish swimming fans. After avoiding his conscription and being briefly imprisoned, fans brought him food and gifts, and he was noted to have gained weight in prison. Borg died in 1987 in Vallentuna. His daughter Inga Borg (1925–2017) was a children's book writer.