Wu Chuanyu

Who was Wu Chuanyu?

Wu Chuanyu was a Chinese swimmer who competed in the Olympic Games in 1948 and 1952. In his second Games, he became the first competitor for the People's Republic of China in Olympic history.

He was born in Salatiga, Central Java, Dutch East Indies on August 21, 1928, the son of immigrants from Fujian, a coastal province of southeastern China. He swam from an early age, playing as a child on the riverside of Surakarta. In 1941, at the age of 13, he performed beyond all expectations at an important swimming competition in Indonesia, setting a new Indonesian record for the 200 metre butterfly and beating the Dutch champion.

Wu was one of the 26 competitors—and the lone swimmer—representing the Republic of China at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Wu swam in the heats of the men's 100 metre freestyle, finishing fifth in his heat with the 32nd fastest time overall.

In the fall of 1951, at the age of 23, Wu represented Indonesia at the 3rd World Festival of Youth and Students in East Berlin, winning a silver medal in the 100 metre backstroke, with a time of 1:12.8.