SafekipediaSwimming at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre freestyle
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The women's 100 metre freestyle was a swimming event held during the swimming at the 1920 Summer Olympics. It was special because it was the second time this event had ever been held at the Olympics, after first appearing in 1912.
Nineteen swimmers from nine different countries took part in the competition. The races took place on two days: Monday, August 23 and Wednesday, August 25, in 1920. This event was one of only two swimming events for women at those Olympics, making it an important moment in women's sports history.
Records
Before the 1920 Summer Olympics, there were special fast times for swimming records.
During the competition, Frances Schroth set a new Olympic record with a time of 1 minute and 18.0 seconds. Then, Ethelda Bleibtrey set an even faster world record with 1 minute and 14.4 seconds, and later improved it again in the final to 1 minute and 13.6 seconds.
| World record | 1:16.2 |  Fanny Durack | Sydney (AUS) | February 6, 1915 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic record | 1:19.8 | Fanny Durack | Stockholm (SWE) | July 11, 1912 |
Results
Semifinals
On Monday, August 23, 1920, swimmers competed in three semifinal races. The top two swimmers from each semifinal and the fastest third-place swimmer moved on to the final round.
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Semifinal 3
Final
The final race took place on Wednesday, August 25, 1920.
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Frances Schroth (USA) | 1:18.0 | Q OR |
| 2 | Charlotte Boyle (USA) | 1:20.4 | Q |
| 3 |  Rie Beisenherz (NED) | 1:22.6 | |
| 4 |  Yvonne Degraine (FRA) | ||
| 5 |  Aina Berg (SWE) | ||
| 6 |  Lillian Birkenhead (GBR) |
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irene Guest (USA) | 1:18.8 | Q |
| 2 | Constance Jeans (GBR) | 1:20.8 | Q |
| 3 |  Violet Walrond (NZL) | 1:21.4 | q |
| 4 |  Germaine Van Dievoet (BEL) | ||
| 5 | Suzanne Wurtz (FRA) | ||
| 6 | Carin Nilsson (SWE) | ||
| 7 | Charlotte Radcliffe (GBR) |
| Place | Swimmer | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethelda Bleibtrey (USA) | 1:14.4 | Q WR |
| 2 | Jane Gylling (SWE) | 1:25.6 | Q |
| 3 | Grace McKenzie (GBR) | 1:27.4 | |
| 4 | Ernestine Lebrun (FRA) | ||
| 5 |  Blanche Nash (RSA) | ||
| 6 |  Lily Beaurepaire (AUS) |
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethelda Bleibtrey (USA) | 1:13.6 WR |
| 2 | Irene Guest (USA) | 1:17.0 |
| 3 | Frances Schroth (USA) | 1:17.2 |
| 4 | Constance Jeans (GBR) | 1:22.8 |
| 5 | Violet Walrond (NZL) | |
| 6 | Jane Gylling (SWE) | |
| — | Charlotte Boyle (USA) | DNF |
Related articles
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