Bill Goll
From Openwaterpedia
Bill Goll is an inductee (Honour Swimmer) in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Class of 2011
Bill Goll shown after finishing second to Marvin Nelson in the 1934 15-mile Canadian National Exhibition. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
#1 Jimmie Tosaka of Japan, #2 Marvin Nelson, #3 Mendell Burditt, #4 Walter Johnson, #5 Sam Shields, #6 Isadore Spondor, #7 George Young, and #8 Bill Goll, entrants in the 1931 Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto
William 'Bill' Goll was an American open water swimmer from New York born about 1908. To make ends meet, he traveled as a high diver with a carnival during the Great Depression between 1945-1949.
Open Water Swimming Career
- Goll finished 3rd in the 1930 Canadian National Exhibition professional race.
- Goll finished second in the 1940 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim.
- Goll was seen as a pioneer in the sport of marathon swimming.
- Goll finished 10th in the 41.8 km Atlantic City Centennial Swim on 26 July 1954 in 10:23:40.
- Goll was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer in its Class of 2011.
- Over the course of his varied and three-decade career, Bill participated in nine Canadian National Exhibition swims, one of the most prestigious marathon swims of its era, between 1941 and 1954 with many top five finishes including a second-place finish to Marvin Nelson in the 15-mile world championship where he won US$1,500.
- In the later stages of his career, Goll participated in at least five 22.5-mile swims around Atlantic City in New Jersey between 1954 and 1959, always finishing in the top 10 despite being between 46 and 51 years old.
- Goll was a member of the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation.
External links
- When Canadians Dominated Atlantic City
- Marilyn Bell Recalls Her Remarkable Teenage Years On WOWSA Live
- Pauline Jackson Paved The Way Across Channels And Lakes
- World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation
- Open Water Swimming
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
- WPMSF Led To IMSHOF
- Bill Goll's Rare Double Above, Below And In The Water
- Bill Goll, An Early American Open Water Swimming Pioneer
- Bill Goll's Rare Double Above, Below And In The Water
