Nickname(s) "Bob" Name Bob Skelton Strokes Breaststroke | Sport Swimming National team United States | |
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Full name Robert Danforth Skelton Born June 25, 1903 ( 1903-06-25 ) Wilmette, Illinois Died June 25, 1977(1977-06-25) (aged 74)
Houston, Texas | ||
Robert Danforth Skelton (June 25, 1903 – June 25, 1977) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.
Skelton competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, where he won a gold medal in the men's 200-meter breaststroke event. Skelton finished in 2:56.6, decisively defeating Belgian swimmer Joseph De Combe (2:59.2), and fellow American Bill Kirschbaum (3:01.0).
Skelton was born in Wilmette, Illinois. He attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he swam for the Northwestern Wildcats swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition. He was the first American to set a world record for the 200-meter breaststroke.
He died in Houston, Texas in 1977; he was 74 years old.