The Swimmer of Auschwitz: The Incredible True Story of the Olympic Hero Who Swam for His Life

The extraordinary story of Olympian who was imprisoned in Auschwitz and survived to tell his story.

"Sports writer Leblond revisits in his propulsive English-language debut the life of Alfred Nakache, an Olympic athlete who was forced to swim for his guards' entertainment at Auschwitz... Readers will be hooked." - Publishers Weekly

Alfred Nakache, a Jewish child from Constantine, never imagined that he would one day swim for France at the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, nor than he would achieve a world record, as he did in 1941. As a child he was petrified of the water and yet, somehow, through sheer willpower and determination, he rose to become one of the very best swimmers in the world. That was until 1943, when he was banned from the pool - and in the same year, deported and sent to Auschwitz.

Not knowing if he would ever see his wife and daughter again, Alfred battled on, through the humiliation and the pain, even defying the guards by swimming in the water reserves of Auschwitz. Somehow - miraculously - he survived, swimming every day until the end of his life.

The Swimmer of Auschwitz is the unique, true story of a forgotten hero, told with remarkable power and simplicity.

Author: Renaud Leblond
Publisher: Monoray
Published: 10/21/2025
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.48lbs
Size: 7.72h x 4.96w x 0.79d
ISBN: 9781800962965


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/11/2025

About the Author
Alfred Nakache (1915-1983) was a Jewish French swimmer and water polo player. A member of the French team for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic Games, he also swam in the first post-war Summer Olympics in London in 1948. He is one of only two Jewish athletes to have competed in the Olympics after surviving the Holocaust.

Editor and writer, Renaud Leblond is the author of several books of history and investigation, including "Main basse sur le genome" (Anne Carrière, 2008), "Le Pouvoir des sectes" (Le Chêne, 2009) and "le Journal de Jules Rimet" (First Éditions, 2014). Passionate about sports, he founded the Jules Rimet Sports Literature Prize in 2012.