| Intro | British swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, former world record-holder |
| A.K.A. | Irene Nicholson |
| Was |
Athlete Swimmer |
| From | United Kingdom |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | female |
| Birth | 10 August 1889, Cardiff |
| Death |
18 April 1977, Cardiff (aged 87 years) |
Irene Steer (10 August 1889 – 18 April 1977) was a Welsh freestyle swimmer. She was one of the three Welsh women who have won Olympic gold medals, the others being Nicole Cooke (cycling, 2008) and Jade Jones (taekwondo, 2012). In 1912, Steer won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay and failed to reach the final of the individual 100 m race.
Steer started as a breaststroke swimmer, but in 1908–1909 changed to crawl. After retiring from competitions she married William Nicholson, director and chairman of Cardiff City F.C. They had three daughters and one son.