Josephine McKim
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Josephine Eveline•McKim (-Chalmers) |
| Used name | Josephine•McKim |
| Born | 4 January 1910 in Oil City, Pennsylvania (USA) |
| Died | 10 December 1992 in Woodstock, New York (USA) |
| Affiliations | Carnegie Library Athletic Club, Homestead (USA) |
| NOC |  United States |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 1 |
| Silver | 0 |
| Bronze | 1 |
| Total | 2 |
Biography
Initially Josephine McKim represented the Carnegie Library Club of Homestead, Pennsylvania, but she later moved to the Canal Zone and competed as an unattached swimmer. She originally specialized in the longer distances and won the AAU 440y in 1929 and the one mile in 1928 and 1929. Following these successes, her second place in the 100m freestyle at the 1932 U.S. Final Trials caused a major surprise; she swam to a creditable fourth place at the Los Angeles Games before winning a gold medal and a share in a new world record in the Olympic freestyle relay. She later had a brief acting career, appearing in several movies. Her most notable appearance was a nude underwater dance scene with Johnny Weissmüller in the 1934 movie Tarzan and his Mate, when she was Maureen O’Sullivan’s body double. In 1991 McKim was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | USA |
Josephine McKim | |||
| 400 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | United States | 1 | ||||
| 1932 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | USA |
Josephine McKim | |||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 4 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | United States | 1 | Gold |
Olympic family relations
- Wife of Gordon Chalmers
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Long Course Swimming (800 m freestyle – 10 August 1929 - 6 July 1930: 12:03.8 (10 August 1929; Honolulu, USA); 4×100 m freestyle relay – 9 August 1928 - 9 August 1928 and 12 August 1932 - 14 April 1934: 4:55.6 (9 August 1928; Amsterdam, NED), 4:38.0 (12 August 1932; Los Angeles, USA))
- Listed in Olympians Who Acted in Movies (More Than a Secretary; Lady Be Careful; The King Steps Out; The Bride of Frankenstein; Movie-Town; Tarzan and His Mate (double for Maureen O'Sullivan when swimming);)