C. A. Atkinson had notable swimming career

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31754, 10 August 1968, Page 11

C. A. Atkinson had notable swimming career

rpilE death of Carl Atkin-

son in Napier this week brought to a close the most remarkable career in the annals of New Zealand swimming. If the countryhad had an aquatic hall of fame, there is little doubt that he would have occupied the place of honour. In a competitive career

which started at the age of four and lasted 40 years, Carl Atkinson won every national swimming title, broke world and Australasian breaststroke records, swam in an Olympic final, and reached the top in surf life-saving and water polo. In a sense, he was born into swimming. His father was an English champion and Carl Atkinson himself became a British schoolboy's champion. He came out to New Zealand in 1908, at the age of 16, and two years later set the swimming world agog by clipping 3.6 sec from the world 220 yd breaststroke record, held by the Australian, P. Matson. He accomplished this feat at the national championship meeting in the Auckland graving dock. Before this he had had to prove himself against the reigning national champion, A. M. Russell,- another Canterbury competitor, in a challenge race at the West Christchurch baths. Atkinson won comfortably and was less than a second outside the world mark a feat which seemed to pass unnoticed at the time. In the title race at Auckland he made his rivals look cumbersome as he sped away to win by 20 yards. “It is good to hear that New Zealand has been credited with something

noteworthy in the swimming line,” commented the “Sydney Referee” at the time. “The low temperature of the water in the land of shakes has all along been a big obstacle to the development of speed swimming there.” Atkinson returned to England in 1911 and won the right to represent Britain in the 1912 Olympic Games at Stockholm. Circumstances prevented him training until two weeks before the games, but in spite of this skimpy preparation he was fifth in the breaststroke final. He returned to New Zealand to win further breaststroke titles and records and the sprint freestyle championship as well. After war service overseas he again proved himself king of breaststroke as well as winning the inaugural backstroke championship and the middle distance freestyle titles. It was highly likely that he would have represented the Dominion at the 1920 Olympics, but having competed for Britain he was debarred from swimming for another country. Breaststroke was always Carl Atkinson’s favourite stroke and as well as being one of the fastest men in the world he was also renowned for his magnificent style. One of the principal fac-

CARL ATKINSON at the age of 18, when he broke the world 220 yd breaststroke record. tors behind his great success in water sports was his remarkable buoyancy. It was this which enabled him to do, so well in the long plunge, a once popular event which has now passed into history. He was rising 40 when he set a national record of 65ft 4in—a mark which still stood when the event was abolished. At the age of 71 he beat competitors a quarter of his age in a long plunge event at Rotorua.

Carl Atkinson was a champion when swimming events were held in the cold, choppy waters of docks and remained champion when the tepid baths came into vogue. His deeds in the less glamorous side of swimming were just as great. He served on the New Zealand council and coached a number of swimmers, one of his proteges being the 1928 Olympic representative, D. P. Lindsay. His great worth to swimming was recognised by his election to life membership of the New Zealand association in 1944; in the following two years he was national president. His passing will be mourned throughout New Zealand, but chiefly in Canterbury, where his deeds for the Opawa and East Christchurch swimming clubs and the Taylor’s Mistake Surf Club will be remembered for many years.