‘The Watermen’ by Michael Loynd takes a look at the birth of American swimming and Charles Daniels’ pursuit of Olympic gold

Sporting history and individual triumph intertwine in Michael Loynd’s new offering, The Watermen, out June 7 from Ballantine Books. Loynd—who chairs the St. Louis Olympic Committee, is a representative for the International Olympic Committee’s World Union of Olympic Cities, and is a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians—calls upon his expertise throughout this telling of the birth of the modern Olympics alongside one of its early underdog stories.

A self-taught swimmer who used the sport as an escape from his turbulent family life, Charles Daniels was a talented amateur well before most Americans knew how to swim. But he was molded into an Olympic champion by coaches Otto Wahle and Lou De B. Handley, who were determined to challenge the British Empire’s decades of success in the pool with an American swimmer. Daniels’ fight was about more than gold. It was about recognition and respect.And Loynd’s tale of his path—from cool vacation swims in the Adirondacks to embracing different strokes (literally, Daniels invented the American crawl), all the way to the podium—has already been called “the best page-turner about Olympic competition since The Boys in the Boat.” 

 For fans of the human stories of determination and personal triumph that emerge from each Olympic Games, The Watermen is essential. As Olympic gold medalist and commentator Rowdy Gaines puts it, “It’s about time someone recognized Charles Daniels for the impact he made on swimming. Michael Loynd has done that to perfection.”