Wow, AMAZING footage here courtesy of the International Swimming Hall of Fame: “The 1936 Olympic final of the 200 meter breaststroke showcased three distinct styles of swimming the stroke at the time. American, John Higgins demonstrated the butterfly arm pull with the frog kick. Hamuro and Koike of Japan, and Sietas of Germany all used the traditional head-up breaststroke. Ito of Japan used a full arm pull with underwater recovery. After the war, the breaststroke used by Higgins was the preferred style. It wasn’t until after the 1952 Olympic Games that butterfly became a distinct stroke.”
