In 1904 George Cane finished fourth in the Royal Life Saving Society’s (RLSS) National Graceful Diving Championship in front of 50,000 people at Highgate Ponds, and two months later won the Amateur Diving Association (ADA) Championship at the same venue. Cane won the RLSS title in 1907 and the following year competed at the London Olympics when he was involved in a freak accident. During one of his preliminary round dives from the 10-metre platform, he dived with his mouth open and entered the water incorrectly. He ruptured a small blood vessel in his chest and was unconscious in the water. Thanks to the prompt action of Sweden’s Hjalmar Johansson (the eventual gold medallist), who dived in and rescued Cane, the Briton was able to walk away after artificial respiration was administered.
Great Britain