Fanny Durack (1889-1956) was the first female swimmer to earn a gold medal.
All month, we're talking about Olympians. Tune in to hear incredible stories of women who either were in the Olympics or likely should have been!
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists, Local Legends, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, and Brittany Martinez. Special thanks to Shira Atkins, Edie Allard, and Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejeda.
We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at jenny@wondermedianetwork.com.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s Olympic phenom blazed a trail for generations of Olympians to come. Despite significant sexism on her way to the top, this Olympian was the first female swimmer to ever take home gold, Let’s talk about Fanny Durack!
Sarah Frances Durack, better known as Fanny, was born on October 27, 1889, in Sydney, Australia. She was the third daughter and sixth child in a big Irish family. Her father, Thomas Durack managed a pub in town, while her mother Mary took care of Fanny and her siblings
Fanny was not a natural swimmer. When she was 9 years old, her family went on vacation in the beachside town of Coogee, Australia. While in the ocean, Fanny found herself fighting against the waves and struggling to get comfortable in the water. Instead of retreating in fear or discomfort, Fanny made it her mission to teach herself how to swim. And she did just that.
Fanny trained in and mastered the breaststroke. At the time, that was the only style of swim that had a championship for women. And when she was 17, she won her first State title. As her abilities progressed, she learned the trudgen stroke and the Australian crawl. With these three styles in her skillset, she dominated the Australian swimming scene. Her main competition was Mina Wylie, who beat her in a few different events, including the 100-yard breaststroke at the Australian Swimming Championships at Rose Bay.
As the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games approached, there was discussion about whether Fanny and Mina should attend. The New South Wales Ladies’ Amateur Swimming Association had a rule that forbade women to compete in arenas where men were present. They believed it was immodest for a woman to be so scantily clad in the presence of men. But Fanny and Mina’s widespread success created enough public pressure that the Association overturned the rule.
Getting to the Games was another hurdle. These were the first Olympic Games where women were allowed to compete in swimming. The Australian Olympic selection committee was all men - men who believed it was a waste of time and resources to send female athletes to compete. After the reversal of the Association’s rule, the selection committee conceded and said Fanny and Mina could go to Stockholm if they were able to fund their own travel expenses. The wife of Hugh McIntosh, an Australian entrepreneur, graciously and successfully appealed to friends, family, and the public for donations for Fanny and Mina and in the end, the two were able to sail to Sweden.
Once in Stockholm, Fanny and Mina faced yet more sexism. The women were only able to swim after work hours, while the men trained for 12 hours a day, six days a week. Fanny reportedly only trained half a mile a day. Additionally, during training and competition, the women had to walk around in floor-length cloaks because they were told their bathing suits were shocking and indecent.
Fanny pushed back on societal standards for women at the Olympics by wearing a form-fitting, sleek swimsuit that did not align with the conservative woolen swimsuit that was deemed appropriate at the time.
Despite a hostile environment, limited training, and a man-made saltwater pool in the Stockholm Harbor, Fanny was ready to compete. In her Olympic debut, she set a world record of 1 minute and 19.8 seconds during her qualifying heat of the 100-meter freestyle. And on July 15, Fanny became the first female gold medalist in the history of Olympic swimming. She beat Mina by three seconds with a time of 1 minute and 22.2 seconds.
Fanny and Mina tried to compete in the 4 by 100 meter freestyle relay despite being just a duo. They offered to swim two legs each to make up for the lack of teammates. But officials shot down their offer and their 1912 Olympics came to a close.
Although Fanny’s Olympic run ended, her success and accolades did not. Between 1912 and 1918, Fanny broke 12 world records. Fanny participated in tours around the world that showcased her talent. She and Mina raced each other and demonstrated the Australian crawl, the style of swimming that made them so famous.
But these world tours were not without controversy. In 1918, the Amateur Swimming Union of Australia banned Fanny and Mina from swimming because they traveled to America without official approval.
In 1919 while on a tour there, Fanny and Mina refused to swim until their manager’s expenses were paid. The Amateur Athletic Union of the United States responded by threatening to suspend their amateur status.
That wasn’t Fanny’s only dispute in the U.S. After being beaten consecutively by Americans, Fanny intentionally limited her participation in competitions until she was able to perfect the new American crawl swimming style.
In 1920, Fanny was prepared to travel as part of the Australian team to the Antwerp Olympics. But a week before they were set to leave, Fanny had an emergency appendectomy that resulted in her contracting both typhoid fever and pneumonia. She withdrew from the Olympics and officially retired from competitive swimming in early January of 1921. Later that month on January 22, Fanny married horse-trainer, Bernard Martin Gately. The rest of her life was devoted to her marriage and coaching young children in swimming. She was made a life member of the New South Wales Women’s Amateur Swimming Association in 1945.
On March 20, 1956, Fanny died of cancer at age 66.
She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1967.
Fanny’s legacy lives on. This summer, the Tokyo Olympics will be the first time women will have a 1500 meter freestyle event. Previously the longest women’s race was 800 meters.
All month we’re talking about Olympians.
For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter Womannica Weekly.
Follow us on facebook and instagram @encyclopediawomannica.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister, and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!