Florence Chadwick

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Florence May Chadwick (born November 9, 1918 in San Diego , † March 15, 1995 ) was an American long-distance swimmer and the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.

Chadwick grew up in San Diego and won her first swimming competition when she was ten by being the first child to swim across San Diego Bay . On August 8, 1950, she swam through the English Channel between Cap Gris-Nez and Dover over a length of 32 kilometers in 13 hours and 20 minutes, breaking the record previously held by the American Gertrude Ederle . A year later, in September 1951, she swam across the canal in the other direction - from Dover to Sangatte - and took 16 hours and 22 minutes. In the following years she repeated this route two more times.

In 1952, at the age of 34, she tried to be the first woman to swim the distance from Catalina Island, 34 kilometers west of California, to Palos Verdes on the California coast. Thick fog and ice-cold water hit her so hard that she gave up half a mile from the target. In an attempt a little later she was successful with a time of 13 hours, 47 minutes and 32 seconds and broke the record of a male swimmer since 1927.

In 1953 she swam through the Bosphorus , the Dardanelles , and the Strait of Gibraltar , the latter in 5 hours and 6 minutes, which was again faster than the record previously held by one man. In 1954 she was the first person to attempt to swim across Lake Ontario at its widest point, but had to give up again, while her competitor, the Canadian Marilyn Bell , succeeded the next day .

In 1944 she played a supporting role with her teammate Esther Williams in the film Bathing Beauty ("The bathing Venus"). She was unmarried. Professionally, she worked as a stockbroker and was involved in later years Vice President of First Wall Street Corp .

In 1970 she was inducted into the international swimming sport hall of fame .

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personal data
SURNAME Chadwick, Florence
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chadwick, Florence May (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American long-distance swimmer
DATE OF BIRTH November 9, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH San Diego
DATE OF DEATH March 15, 1995
Place of death San Diego