Al Vande Weghe

Who was Al Vande Weghe?

Albert Joseph Vande Weghe was an American competition swimmer and Olympic silver medalist.

As a 16-year-old high school senior at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, he won the silver medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke. Vande Weghe finished second behind fellow American Adolph Kiefer and recorded a time of 1:07.7. Like Kiefer, Vande Weghe never achieved his full potential as a swimmer after his competition career was interrupted by military service during World War II.

He was known for the competitive advantage he gained in the turn by inventing the flip turn.

After the Olympics, Vande Weghe attended Princeton University, where he swam for the Princeton Tigers swimming and diving team. He swam for four years without ever losing a college dual meet, and won the NCAA national championship in the 150-yard backstroke three consecutive years. He graduated from Princeton with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1940.

Vande Weghe was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1990.