Alberto Zorrilla

Born to a wealthy family, Alberto Zorrilla’s father owned multiple ranches in Argentina. Zorrilla began swimming as a youngster and made his international début at the 1924 Olympics, where he reached the 100 free style semi-finals. After winning South American championships in 1924-25, he moved to the US in the fall of 1926 and joined the New York Athletic Club. At the 1928 Olympics, Zorrilla won gold in the 400 free from an outside lane, surprisingly beating the favorites Buster Crabbe, Boy Charlton and Arne Borg. He was also seventh in the 100 freestyle and fifth at 1,500 metres, thus becoming the second and, as of 2017, the last person to reach the finals of every freestyle event at one Olympics, after Borg, who swam in every freestyle event final in 1924. Zorrilla was the Argentine flag bearer at the 1932 Olympics, but an illness prevented him from defending his Olympic title.

After his swimming career, Zorrilla stayed in New York, working as a journalist, and became a naturalized US citizen in 1954. He was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1976.