Editing Johnny Weissmuller (section)

===Swimming===
[[File:Weissmuller cropped.jpg|thumb|Weissmuller in 1924]]
Weissmuller tried out for swimming coach [[Bill Bachrach]]. Impressed with what he saw, he took Weissmuller under his wing. He also was a strong father figure and mentor for Johnny. On August 6, 1921, Weissmuller began his competitive swimming career. He entered four Amateur Athletic Union races and won them all. He set his first two world records at the A.A.U. Nationals on September 27, 1921, in the 100m and 150yd events.<ref name=":0" />

On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke [[Duke Kahanamoku|Duke Kahanamoku's]] world record in the 100-meter freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.<ref>{{cite book|author=Safire, William|title=The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind|publisher=Macmillan|year=2007|page=[https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesguid00/page/943 943]|isbn=978-0-312-37659-8|url=https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesguid00/page/943}}</ref> He won the title for that distance at the [[1924 Summer Olympics]], beating Kahanamoku for the gold medal.<ref>{{cite book|last=Christopher|first=Paul J.|author2=Smith, Alicia Marie|title=Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times: North American Edition|publisher=Encouragement Press|year=2006|page=204|isbn=978-1-933766-09-6}}</ref> He also won the 400-meter freestyle and was a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×200-meter relay.<ref>{{cite web |title=Johnny Weissmuller |url=https://www.olympic.org/johnny-weissmuller |website=Olympic.org |access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref>

Four years later, at the [[1928 Summer Olympics]] in Amsterdam, he won another two gold medals.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kirsch|first=George B.|author2=Othello, Harris|author3=Nolte, Claire Elaine|title=Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2000|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofet0000unse_u6f6/page/488 488]|isbn=978-0-313-29911-7|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofet0000unse_u6f6/page/488}}</ref><ref name=sr>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/we/johnny-weissmuller-1.html Johnny Weissmuller profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229120721/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/we/johnny-weissmuller-1.html |date=December 29, 2008 }}, sports-reference.com; accessed November 12, 2015.</ref> It was during this period that Weissmuller became an enthusiast for [[John Harvey Kellogg|John Harvey Kellogg's]] [[holistic medicine|holistic]] lifestyle views on nutrition, enemas and exercise. He went to Kellogg's [[Battle Creek, Michigan]] sanatorium to dedicate its new 120-foot swimming pool, and break one of his own previous swimming records after adopting the [[vegetarian]] diet prescribed by Kellogg.<ref name=Schaefer2005>{{cite book|last=Schaefer|first=Richard A|title=LEGACY: Daring to Care: the heritage of Loma Linda|year=2005|url=http://www.llu.edu/central/info/legacy/chapter13.page|chapter=Chapter Thirteen THE FIVE-HUNDRED-DOLLAR SEED|access-date=November 12, 2015|archive-date=September 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907182721/http://www.llu.edu/central/info/legacy/chapter13.page|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1927, Weissmuller set a new world record of 51.0 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle, which stood for 17&nbsp;years. He improved it to 48.5&nbsp;seconds at Billy Rose World's Fair Aquacade in 1940, aged 36, but this result was discounted, as he was competing as a professional.<ref name="ishof">{{cite web |url=http://www.ishof.org/johnny-weissmuller-(usa).html |title=Johnny Weissmuller (USA) |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=[[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] |access-date=March 13, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104342/http://www.ishof.org/johnny-weissmuller-(usa).html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=sr/>
As a member of the [[United States men's national water polo team|U.S. men's national water polo team]], he won a bronze medal at the [[Water polo at the 1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Summer Olympics]]. He also competed in the [[Water polo at the 1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Olympics]], where the U.S. team finished in seventh place.<ref name=ishof/><ref name=sr/>

In all, Weissmuller won five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal, 52 United States national championships,<ref name=ishof/> and set 67 world records. He was the first man to swim the 100-meter freestyle under one minute and the 440-yard freestyle under five minutes. He never lost a race and retired with an unbeaten amateur record.<ref name=ishof/><ref name=sr/><ref>{{cite book|last=Simonton|first=Dean Keith|title=Greatness: Who Makes History and Why|url=https://archive.org/details/greatnesswhomake0000simo|url-access=limited|publisher=[[Guilford Press]]|year=1994|page=[https://archive.org/details/greatnesswhomake0000simo/page/156 156]|isbn=978-0-89862-201-0}}</ref> In 1950, he was selected by the Associated Press as the greatest swimmer of the first half of the 20th century.<ref name=ishof/>

During the 1930s, before he became [[Tarzan]], Weissmuller was a swimming instructor at the [[Miami Biltmore Hotel]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Levere |first=Jane L. |date=2014-05-20 |title=Miami Area Hotel Brings Its Past to Forefront |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/business/media/miami-area-hotel-brings-its-past-to-forefront.html |access-date=2025-04-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=TODAY |first=Susan B. Barnes, Special for USA |title=Resort photo tour: Old Florida splendor at the Biltmore Hotel |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2017/02/24/biltmore-hotel-coral-gables-florida/98246016/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> He broke a world record at the Biltmore pool.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thurwachter |first=Mary |title=Dip into history and summer savings at Coral Gables’ Biltmore |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/lifestyle/travel/2014/05/20/dip-into-history-summer-savings/7571436007/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=The Palm Beach Post |language=en-US}}</ref>