Belle White

Belle White had a long and successful diving career. She took up the sport in 1912, and that same year was selected for the Stockholm Olympics and became Britain’s first ever diving medallist when she took bronze in the platform event. She went on to compete at three more post-War Games, 1920 (4th), 1924 (6th) and 1928, when she was nearly 34-years-of-age, and was the oldest member of the British diving squad. In addition to winning the national high diving titles six times in 1922-23, 1925-28, she was the inaugural European women’s platform champion at Bologna in 1927. White retired from active competition in 1930 and was elected a vice-president of the Amateur Diving Association. She was one of the diving judges at the 1948 London Olympic and the Belle White National Memorial Trophy (formerly the Belle White Trophy), presented to the best women’s diving team of the year, was inaugurated in her honour in 1935.