 Bleibtrey at 1920 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ethelda Marguerite Bleibtrey | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 27, 1902 Waterford, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | May 6, 1978 (aged 76) West Palm Beach, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Women's Swimming Association | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ethelda Marguerite Bleibtrey (February 27, 1902 – May 6, 1978), also known by her married name Ethelda Schlatke, was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder in multiple events.[1]
Bleibtrey was a dominant backstroke swimmer, but entered and won gold medals in three freestyle events when there were no women's backstroke events at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.[2] She won a gold medal as member of the winning U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay, together with teammates Margaret Woodbridge, Frances Schroth and Irene Guest.[2][3] The American relay team set a new world record of 5:11.6 in the event final.[2] Individually, Bleibtrey also received gold medals and set world records in the women's 100-meter freestyle (1:13.6) and the women's 300-meter freestyle (4:34.0).[4][5]
She was born in Waterford, New York,[2] to John and Maggie Bleibtrey.[6] She started swimming to help recover from polio, which she contracted in 1917.[7] In 1919, she was arrested for "nude swimming" — she removed her stockings at a pool where it was forbidden to bare "the lower female extremities for public bathing." The subsequent public support for Bleibtrey led to the abandonment of stockings as a conventional element in women's swimwear.[8]
Bleibtrey was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1967.[9] She died in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1978.[2]
See also
- List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
- World record progression 100 metres freestyle
- World record progression 400 metres freestyle
- World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay
References
- ^ "Ethelda Bleibtrey". Olympedia. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Ethelda Bleibtrey. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, United States Swimming at the 1920 Antwerpen Summer Games. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1920 Antwerpen Summer Games, Women's 100 metres Freestyle Final. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1920 Antwerpen Summer Games, Women's 300 metres Freestyle Final. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ 1910 United States Federal Census
- ^ Shinn, Peggy (2017-03-22). "Meet Ethelda Bleibtrey, America's First Female Swimming Gold Medalist". TeamUsa.org. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020.
- ^ "Ethelda Bleibtrey," Encyclopædia Britannica (2012). Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ "Ethelda Bleibtrey (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
Bibliography
- Floyd Conner, The Olympic's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Gold Medal Gaffes, Improbable Triumphs, and Other Oddities, Brassey's (2002). ISBN 1-57488-413-1.
External links
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ethelda Bleibtrey". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
- Ethelda Bleibtrey (USA) – Honor Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fame at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-04-02)
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This page was last edited on 18 September 2023, at 06:44