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100 metres Freestyle, Women

Date23 – 25 August 1920
StatusOlympic
LocationZwemstadion van Antwerpen, Antwerpen
Participants19 from 9 countries

The world and Olympic record was 1:16.2, which had been set by Fanny Durack, who won the 1912 Olympic gold medal. The United States’ Ethelda Bleibtrey was a laughable winner of this event. She set a world record of 1:14.4 in the heats and then improved that record in the finals, winning by almost 3½ seconds. Bleibtrey had only a brief career as an amateur but between 1920 and 1922 she was undefeated and won an AAU title at every distance from 50 yards to the long distance event.

PosSwimmerNOCSFFinal
1Ethelda BleibtreyUSA1:14.4 (1 h3)1:13.6 (1)Gold
2Irene GuestUSA1:18.8 (1 h2)1:17.0 (2)Silver
3Frances SchrothUSA1:18.0 (1 h1)1:17.2 (3)Bronze
4Connie JeansGBR1:20.8 (2 h2)1:22.8 (4)
5Violet WalrondNZL1:21.4 (3 h2)– (5)
6Jane GyllingSWE1:25.6 (2 h3)– (6)
AC r2/2Charlotte BoyleUSA1:20.4 (2 h1)– (DNF)DNF
3 h1 r1/2Rie BeisenherzNED1:22.6 (3 h1)
3 h3 r1/2Grace McKenzieGBR1:27.4 (3 h3)
4 h1 r1/2Yvonne DegraineFRA– (4 h1)
4 h2 r1/2Germaine Van DievoetBEL– (4 h2)
4 h3 r1/2Ernestine LebrunFRA– (4 h3)
5 h1 r1/2Aina BergSWE– (5 h1)
5 h2 r1/2Suzanne WurtzFRA– (5 h2)
5 h3 r1/2Blanche NashRSA– (5 h3)
6 h1 r1/2Lillian BirkenheadGBR– (6 h1)
6 h2 r1/2Carin NilssonSWE– (6 h2)
6 h3 r1/2Lily BeaurepaireAUS– (6 h3)
7 h2 r1/2Charlotte RadcliffeGBR– (7 h2)

Semi-Finals (23 August 1920 — 15:45)

Top two in each heat with the fastest third place advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Frances SchrothUSA1:18.0QOR
2Charlotte BoyleUSA1:20.4Q
3Rie BeisenherzNED1:22.6
4Yvonne DegraineFRA
5Aina BergSWE
6Lillian BirkenheadGBR

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Irene GuestUSA1:18.8Q
2Connie JeansGBR1:20.8Q
3Violet WalrondNZL1:21.4q
4Germaine Van DievoetBEL
5Suzanne WurtzFRA
6Carin NilssonSWE
7Charlotte RadcliffeGBR

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Ethelda BleibtreyUSA1:14.4QWR
2Jane GyllingSWE1:25.6Q
3Grace McKenzieGBR1:27.4
4Ernestine LebrunFRA
5Blanche NashRSA
6Lily BeaurepaireAUS

Final (25 August 1920 — 15:30)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Ethelda BleibtreyUSA1:13.6WR
2Irene GuestUSA1:17.0
3Frances SchrothUSA1:17.2
4Connie JeansGBR1:22.8
5Violet WalrondNZL
6Jane GyllingSWE
DNFCharlotte BoyleUSA1