# Otto Scheff
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{{short description|Austrian swimmer (1889–1956)}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name = Otto Scheff
| image = File:ScheffOttoOlympian.png
| image_size = 180px
| alt =
| caption = Scheff as a youth
| birth_name =
| full_name = Otto Friedrich Wilhelm Scheff
| occupation = Attorney, politician
Sports Official
| nickname =
| national_team = Austria
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|12|12}}
| birth_place = [Berlin](/source/Berlin), German Empire
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1956|10|26|1889|12|12}}
| death_place = [Maria Enzersdorf](/source/Maria_Enzersdorf), Austria
| height =
| weight =
| spouse =
| website =
| strokes = [Freestyle](/source/Freestyle_swimming)
| classification =
| club = Wiener Athletiksport Club
| collegeteam =
| coach =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | {{flag|Austrian Empire}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [Olympic Games](/source/Olympic_Games) }}
{{MedalBronze | [1908 London](/source/1908_Summer_Olympics) | [400 m freestyle](/source/Swimming_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_400_metre_freestyle) }}
{{MedalCompetition | [Intercalated Games](/source/Intercalated_Games) }}
{{MedalGold | [1906 Athens](/source/1906_Intercalated_Games) | [400 m freestyle](/source/Swimming_at_the_1906_Intercalated_Games) }}
{{MedalBronze | [1906 Athens](/source/1906_Intercalated_Games) | [1 mile](/source/Swimming_at_the_1906_Intercalated_Games) }}
}}
'''Otto Scheff''', born '''Otto Sochaczewsky''' (December 12, 1889 – October 26, 1956) was an Austrian [freestyle](/source/freestyle_swimming) [swimmer](/source/swimmer), [water polo](/source/water_polo) player, lawyer, politician, and sports official who competed in the [1906 Intercalated Games](/source/1906_Intercalated_Games), and both the [1908](/source/1908_Summer_Olympics), and [1912 Summer Olympics](/source/1912_Summer_Olympics). He later worked as an attorney in Vienna, served in the [National Council of Austria](/source/National_Council_of_Austria),[{{cite web|title=Otto Scheff|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sc/otto-scheff-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165055/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sc/otto-scheff-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=2 July 2017}}][{{cite web|title=Otto Scheff - Austria's youngest Olympian winner|url=http://www.olympia.at/museum/main.asp?VID=1&kat1=13&kat2=142&kat3=&MBIOPID=1238&MBIOTID=322|website=olympia.at|access-date=2 July 2017}}]
Scheff was born in [Berlin](/source/Berlin) on September 12, 1889 into the family of Jewish writer [Heinrich Sochaczewsky](/source/Harry_Scheff), who published under the pseudonym Victor von Falk. Scheff grew up in Wien (Vienna), Austria, soon distinguishing himself globally as the top middle-distance freestyler in the era of the [trudgeon](/source/trudgeon) stroke, prior to the broad introduction of the [Australian crawl](/source/Australian_crawl). He swam for the Wiener Athletiksport Club. He first gained international recognition in 1905 at the international tournament held in Paris, then known as the World Championships, where he placed third in the 500-m freestyle behind British swimmers David Billington and Eric Forsyth.[{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/45399|title=olympedia Biography, Otto Scheff|website=[Olympedia](/source/Olympedia)|access-date=August 23, 2025}}]
==Records==
Scheff set a long course European and World record of 2:31.6 in the 200-meter freestyle on 11 November 1908 in Vienna, Austria that held through 12 December 1924. His 200-meter record held as a world record that held through 9 September 1910.[
From 1906-1908, Scheff established a total of four world records. He set the world record in the 1000 meter freestyle in 1908, which held through 1912 when it was broken by Canadian Hall of Fame swimmer [George Hodgson](/source/George_Hodgson).][{{cite web|url=https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-otto-scheff/|title=International Swimming Hall of Fame, Otto Scheff|website=oshof.org|access-date=August 23, 2025}}]
He was attending school in 1906 when the Austrian Olympic Committee intervened in his schooling to allow him three weeks leave to compete in the [1906 Intercalated Games](/source/1906_Intercalated_Games) in [Athens](/source/Athens).[{{cite web|title=Swimming at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's One Mile Freestyle|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1906/SWI/mens-one-mile-freestyle.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165119/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1906/SWI/mens-one-mile-freestyle.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=2 July 2017}}]
Scheff subsequently won the gold medal by a two second margin in the [400 metre freestyle](/source/Swimming_at_the_1906_Intercalated_Games).[{{cite web|title=Swimming at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's 400 metres Freestyle|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1906/SWI/mens-400-metres-freestyle.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165217/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1906/SWI/mens-400-metres-freestyle.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=2 July 2017}}] He swam as part of the [4×250 metre freestyle relay](/source/Swimming_at_the_1906_Intercalated_Games) team, which did not complete the event.[{{cite web|title=Swimming at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's 4 × 250 metres Freestyle Relay|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1906/SWI/mens-4-x-250-metres-freestyle-relay.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165215/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1906/SWI/mens-4-x-250-metres-freestyle-relay.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=2 July 2017}}]
===1908 Olympics===
Two years later he was in [London](/source/London) for the [1908 Summer Olympics](/source/1908_Summer_Olympics), and again entered three events.[
In the [400 metre freestyle](/source/Swimming_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_400_metre_freestyle) he won another bronze medal with a time of 5:46.0 after once again placing behind British swimmer [Henry Taylor](/source/Henry_Taylor_(swimmer)) who took gold with a 5:36.8.][{{cite web|title=Swimming at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's 400 metres Freestyle|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-400-metres-freestyle.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165220/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-400-metres-freestyle.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=2 July 2017}}] He reached the semi-finals of the [1500 metre freestyle](/source/Swimming_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_1500_metre_freestyle) swimming a 24:25.4 in the second semi-final heat, but didn't complete the final, where British swimmer Henry Taylor, with a time of 22:48.4 again took the gold medal.[{{cite web|title=Swimming at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's 1,500 metres Freestyle|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-1500-metres-freestyle.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165218/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-1500-metres-freestyle.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=2 July 2017}}] He qualified for the semi-finals of the [100 metre freestyle](/source/Swimming_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_100_metre_freestyle), by swimming a 1:11.4 in his preliminary heat, but did not swim in the semi-finals.[{{cite web|title=Swimming at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's 100 metres Freestyle|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-100-metres-freestyle.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165425/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-100-metres-freestyle.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=2 July 2017}}]
===1912 Stockholm Olympics===
Scheff trained Austria's 1912 women's Olympic swim team that won the bronze medal with a combined time of 6:27.0 in the [4×100 m freestyle](/source/Swimming_at_the_1912_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Women's_4_%C3%97_100_metre_freestyle_relay) behind the gold medal British and silver medal German team. The Austrian women's relay team was composed of [Klara Milch](/source/Klara_Milch), [Josephine Sticker](/source/Josephine_Sticker), [Margarete Adler](/source/Margarete_Adler) and [Berta Zahourek](/source/Berta_Zahourek), who were considered the most accomplished Austrian women's swimmers prior to the first World War.[{{cite web|url=https://www.biographien.ac.at/oebl/oebl_A/Adler_Margarete_1896_1990.xml|title=Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Austrian Biographical Dictionary, Adler, Margarete|website=www.giographien.ac.at|access-date=August 23, 2025}}]
At the [1912 Summer Olympics](/source/1912_Summer_Olympics) in [Stockholm](/source/Stockholm) Scheff participated in the [water polo tournament](/source/Water_polo_at_the_1912_Summer_Olympics) as part of the Austrian team which finished in fourth place.[{{cite web|title=1912 - Olympic Games in Stockholm|url=http://www.h2opolo.be/geschiedenis/WP_1912_OS.html|website=h2opolo.be|access-date=2 July 2017}}] He was scheduled to participate in the 100 and 400-meter freestyle, but did not swim in his preliminary heat.[
===Later life===
Scheff attended the University of Vienna, graduating in 1913 with a law degree, and enjoyed a successful career practicing law as a Viennese attorney.][
From 1945 to 1953 he served in the [National Council of Austria](/source/National_Council_of_Austria) as a member of the [Austrian People's Party](/source/Austrian_People's_Party),][{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/45399 |title=Otto Scheff |work=Olympedia |access-date=11 April 2021}}]
His daughter [Gertraud Scheff](/source/Gertraud_Scheff) was already qualified for the [1940 Summer Olympics](/source/1940_Summer_Olympics) in [Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), when the games were cancelled.[
In his honor, [Mödling](/source/M%C3%B6dling), 15 km South of Vienna, named a street "Dr. Otto Scheff-Weg".]