Ethelda Bleibtrey

Swimmer

• Born: February 27, 1902
• Birthplace: Waterford, New York
• Died: May 6, 1978
• Place of death: West Palm Beach, Florida

Sport: Swimming

Early Life

Ethelda Bleibtrey was born on February 27, 1902, in Waterford, New York. Ethelda was the younger of John and Marguerite’s two children. Ethelda’s father was a funeral director. The Bleibtreys separated when the children were young. Mrs. Bleibtrey took Ethelda and her brother, John, to New York City. She supported the children by working as a salesperson at Bloomingdale’s department store. The family did not have much money, but Mrs. Bleibtrey always saved enough to make Easter outfits for her children.

The Road to Excellence

Ethelda was advised by her doctor to take up swimming because polio had weakened her neck and back. She joined the Women’s Swimming Association (WSA) at the age of sixteen. She was coached by Louis de Brada Handley, the first women’s Olympic swimming coach. Within two years, Ethelda was setting records in the freestyle. On August 16, 1919, she won the 440-yard race in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships at the Manhattan Beach lagoon. She set an American and world record in the event.

The WSA was organized by Charlotte Epstein in 1917, and was a volunteer organization and the first to offer women in the United States an opportunity to train for national and international competition. Expert coaching and organizational expertise from Epstein provided the training and competition that helped make Ethelda a champion, whose skill and determination paved the way for excellence in international competition. Ethelda excelled in both short sprints and long-distance races. She entered races in pools, lakes, and the Atlantic Ocean. She won a one-mile race in cold water that caused several of the swimmers to withdraw. Very few women in the United States had opportunities to train for international competition during Ethelda’s era. She and other WSA stars helped to establish an outstanding reputation for American women in the Olympic Games.

The Emerging Champion

On July 10 and 14, 1920, tryouts for the Olympic swim team were held at Manhattan Beach, California. The 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium, took place not long after World War I ended. All participating countries had difficulty raising money for their teams. American Olympic hopefuls were told that only the best athletes would sail to Antwerp. The swimmers were also informed that those with slower times in the trials might have to pay their own expenses to the Olympic Games. Ethelda assured herself a place on the Olympic team when she lowered the world record in the 100-meter sprint. She maintained her record pace on the second day of the trials. She also broke the record in the 300-meter event two times. She finished the race 6 yards ahead of her nearest rival.

After the Olympic trials, Ethelda set a world record in a 100-yard race. She finished the race 5 feet ahead of the second-place swimmer. She also won the national half-mile race by a 30-yard margin while swimming against strong head winds. No matter what the conditions, Ethelda swam her best. On July 20, 1920, the first women to represent the United States in Olympic swimming and diving set sail for Antwerp. The Princess Matoika had been used as a transport ship for troops during World War I. The swimmers worked out in a canvas tank while strapped in a shoulder harness.

Ethelda made Olympic history when she won the 100-meter freestyle in the world-record time of 1 minute 13.6 seconds. Ethelda lowered the Olympic record in the 300-meter freestyle when she won her heat. She set a world record in the finals of the 300-meter freestyle race and collected her second gold medal. On August 29, 1920, Ethelda swam her final Olympic race. She anchored the 4 100-meter freestyle relay team, which set a world record.

The women’s Olympic swimming and diving team won four out of five events and was led by Ethelda’s outstanding performances. The American women’s Olympic aquatic team was the first of its kind from the United States. Only seven American women had competed in tennis and golf at the 1900 Olympics. American men had been competing since the first modern Olympics at Athens, Greece, in 1896.

Continuing the Story

Ethelda was among the first great American women swimmers. In just two years of competition before the Olympics, she established herself as a world-class freestyle swimmer. She won races in distances from 50 yards to 3 1/2 miles. She repeatedly proved her ability to win under adverse conditions against some of the best swimmers of her era. Ethelda took a post-Olympic trip to Hawaii. She entered a three-night swimming meet in Honolulu. Each evening she won her races, and she was the most successful swimmer at the meet. Ethelda scored fourteen points in the meet, good enough to finish second behind the Outrigger Canoe Club team. Ethelda returned to New York and continued to win freestyle races.

In May, 1922, Ethelda decided to turn professional. She announced her plans to open a swimming school in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She married and had one daughter. After a divorce, she supported her daughter by teaching swimming and later became a practical nurse. Ethelda died of cancer on May 6, 1978. She was living in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the time of her death.

Summary

Ethelda Bleibtrey became a champion swimmer in a very short time. She was the first American woman swimmer to gain recognition as an international champion. She won three Olympic titles in 1920, at the Antwerp Olympics.

Bibliography

Markel, Robert, Susan Waggoner, and Marcella Smith, eds. The Women’s Sports Encyclopedia. New York: Henry Holt, 1997.

Sherrow, Victoria, ed. Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-Clio, 1996.

Wallechinsky, David, and Jaime Loucky. The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press, 2008.