Ethelda Bleibtrey (1902-1978) was a rule breaker who overcame polio to become a three time gold medalist in swimming.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s Olympian was a three time gold medalist in swimming. She was a rule breaker who overcame polio to become a world record breaking swimmer. She continued to make waves after leaving the swimming world and dedicated her life to working with the disabled. Meet Ethelda Bleibtrey.
Ethelda Marguerite Bleibtrey was born on February 27, 1902 in Waterford, New York. Her parents John, a funeral director, and Marguerite Bleibtrey separated soon after they had their second child, a son, and Marguerite was left to support her children by working at Bloomingdale’s department store in New York City.
At a young age, Ethelda was diagnosed with polio. Polio is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus that can affect the central nervous system and lead to paralysis. As a way to recover from the effects of polio, Ethelda began swimming.
Swimming became more than a form of therapy for Ethelda; she grew to love the sport and began swimming competitively. She joined the Women’s Swimming Association, or WSA, a New York swim club started by Charlotte “Eppy” Epstein.
Under WSA tutelage, Ethelda’s swimming skills grew considerably. She became a dominant backstroke swimmer and went on to set records in the 100- yard backstroke and won Amateur Athletic Union titles in the 440-yard and 88-yard freestyle events.
Ethelda made the jump from local star to international sensation in August 1919 when she beat veteran Australian swimming star, Fanny Durack in an exhibition race. This would not be the last time Ethelda made a splash in the swimming world.
Later that year, Ethelda made waves when she broke societal norms by swimming bared legged. At the time, women were expected to swim while wearing heavy woolen stockings. Ethelda was arrested for “nude swimming.”
Ethelda did not let this controversy deter her. In 1920, the United States sent a women's swimming team to the Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium for the first time. Ethelda made the team.
Ethelda set a world record of 1:14.4 in the 100-meter freestyle. Two days later, she won her first gold medal when she beat teammate Irene Guest by 4 seconds in the finals. Ethelda beat her previous record to set a new one at 1:13.6 with this win – a record that would stand for three years.
Ethelda continued to set records. She set a world record time of 4:41.4 in the semi finals for the 300 meter freestyle. In the finals, she broke the world record again with a time of 4:34.0, beating her teammate Margaret Woodbridge.
Ethelda made swimming in the Olympics look easy when the conditions in Antwerp were the opposite. The city did not have an indoor or outdoor pool so swimmers had to compete in a cold and muddy tidal estuary.
Ethelda broke another record in her final event. In the 4x100 meter relay, Ethelda swam as the anchor leading her team to victory. The USA won gold with a record breaking finish of 5:11.6, defeating the reigning champions, Great Britain.
Ethelda entered the Olympics as an up and coming swimmer and left a three time gold medalist. She had said she believed she would have won a fourth gold medal if the Olympics had an event in the women’s backstroke, since she was the world record holder at the time.
Afterwards, Ethelda used her new celebrity to tour the world to promote women’s swimming. She continued competitive swimming and won Amateur Athletic Union titles in multiple events.
In 1922, Ethelda decided to go pro. Unfortunately for her, there was little demand for a professional swimmer to give exhibitions and one by one all of Ethelda’s world records were broken. Ethelda’s star had dimmed and she left professional swimming to work as swim coach and instructor.
Five years later, Ethelda got married to a businessman named Frederick MacRoberts. Together, they had a daughter named Leilah before later divorcing.
In 1928, the Keith Theater vaudeville circuit enlisted Ethelda to present swimming exhibitions on stage for an audience. Ethelda was set to swim on the tour for fourteen- weeks but a day before the tour opened the tank leaked and the theater's carpet was destroyed.
Ethelda was charged a thousand dollars for the damages. Luckily for Ethelda, the New York Daily News, created a plan to help her earn the money. At the time, The New York Daily News was campaigning for more public pools in the city. The Daily News paid Ethelda to break the law and swim in the Central Park reservoir. Ethelda was arrested and spent the night in jail. Her arrest was highly publicized and galvanized support for the construction of more city public pools.
Ethelda kept a low profile during the 1930s. She continued teaching swimming to children and began providing physiotherapy to cerebral palsy and polio patients. Ethelda dedicated this chapter of her life to working with the disabled. In 1959, she became a nurse.
In 1967, the swimming world honored Ethelda's accomplishments when she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. One year later, Ethelda left New York and moved to Florida where she continued her work using swimming as a form of therapy for the elderly.
Ethelda Bleibtrey died of cancer on May, 6, 1978 at the age of 76.
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