Lane was the first Australian to represent his country in swimming at the Olympic Games, although he was actually a part of the British team when he competed at the 1900 Paris Games and won two gold medals.
He first won the 200 m freestyle, clearly beating the Hungarian Zoltán Halmay. His second final was just 45 minutes later, the discontinued 200 m obstacle race, where he beat Otto Wahle from Austria.
Lane, who had won national titles in Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, also was the first swimmer to finish the 100 y in less than a minute, clocking 59,6 in 1902.