Anton Cerer

Who is Anton Cerer?

Anton M. Cerer was the first Slovenian or Yugoslavian swimmer to win a European medal. His career was interrupted by World War II, yet he competed at the Summer Olympics in 1936 and 1948 and European championships in 1938 and 1947. He won two European medals and finished fifth at the 1948 Olympics in the 200 m breaststroke event.

He was born in Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia, but in the 1950s emigrated to the United States. Between 1983 and 2002 he competed in the masters category and dominated world championships in his age group in breaststroke, butterfly and medley disciplines. He died after slipping in a pool in Cleveland, Ohio, aged 90, while training for the FINA World Masters Championships.