| Intro | American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, former world record-holder |
| A.K.A. | Ethelda Marguerite Bleibtrey, Ethelda Schlatke |
| Was |
Athlete Swimmer |
| From | United States of America |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | female |
| Birth | 27 February 1902, Waterford |
| Death |
6 May 1978, West Palm Beach (aged 76 years) |
Ethelda Marguerite Bleibtrey (February 27, 1902 – May 6, 1978), also known by her married name Ethelda Schlatke, was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder in multiple events.
Bleibtrey was a dominant backstroke swimmer, but entered and won gold medals in three freestyle events when there were no women’s backstroke events at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. She won a gold medal as member of the winning U.S. team in the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay, together with teammates Margaret Woodbridge, Frances Schroth and Irene Guest. The American relay team set a new world record of 5:11.6 in the event final. Individually, Bleibtrey also received gold medals and set world records in the women’s 100-meter freestyle (1:13.6) and the women’s 300-meter freestyle (4:34.0).
She was born in Waterford, New York. She started swimming to help recover from polio, which she contracted in 1917. In 1919, she was arrested for “nude swimming” — she removed her stockings at a pool where it was forbidden to bare “the lower female extremities for public bathing.” The subsequent public support for Bleibtrey led to the abandonment of stockings as a conventional element in women’s swimwear.
Bleibtrey was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an “Honor Swimmer” in 1967. She died in West Palm Beach, Florida in 1978.