Fifteen swimmers comprised the Yugoslavian Olympic team competing in Austria in 1954. Fourteen returned to their Iron Curtain country. One, Tania Velia, selected as "Miss Yugoslavia," displayed brains to match her blonde beauty by slipping away from the guards into the American zone at Salzburg, to escape forever from Yugoslavery. Tania cooperated swimmingly when we asked to take pictures. She was wearing her modest team sweatshirt and swimsuit. We explained that, for Playboy, we'd like something a bit more appealing, so she obligingly peeled off the shirt and suit and swam about in her birthday finery, and fine it was. "Something like this?" asked the Slavonic tonic. "Everything like that," we said.
A former star on the Yugoslavian Olympic swimming team, Tania Velia doffs her team shirt and suit to give our camera an unobstructed view of her championship form.
A former star on the Yugoslavian Olympic swimming team, Tania Velia doffs her team shirt and suit to give our camera an unobstructed view of her championship form.
Unlike many bathing beauties who won't get wet, Tania, once elected Miss Yugoslavia, obviously enjoys a spree in a pool. One reason why may well be that it was her swimming prowess that enabled her to flee from Communism. Speaking of it now, she says, "I swam my way to freedom."
Unlike many bathing beauties who won't get wet, Tania, once elected Miss Yugoslavia, obviously enjoys a spree in a pool. One reason why may well be that it was her swimming prowess that enabled her to flee from Communism. Speaking of it now, she says, "I swam my way to freedom."
Unlike many bathing beauties who won't get wet, Tania, once elected Miss Yugoslavia, obviously enjoys a spree in a pool. One reason why may well be that it was her swimming prowess that enabled her to flee from Communism. Speaking of it now, she says, "I swam my way to freedom."
Unlike many bathing beauties who won't get wet, Tania, once elected Miss Yugoslavia, obviously enjoys a spree in a pool. One reason why may well be that it was her swimming prowess that enabled her to flee from Communism. Speaking of it now, she says, "I swam my way to freedom."
The rules of refraction are powerless to distort Miss Velia's pulchritudinous posing at pool's edge (above).
Refreshed and relaxed from her exercise, Tania uses a diving board as her place in the sun (below), fortifying her midsummer tan.
