Gertrude Ederle
First woman to swim the English Channel, 1926, in 14 hours 31 minutes
Overview
Ederle swam from France to England in 1926 wearing a two piece suit and grease, beating the existing mens record by nearly ten hours. She had already won gold at Paris 1924 in the relay. Her crossing proved womens endurance capability on the biggest open water stage and drew massive crowds on her return to New York.
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