Willy den Ouden

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The 1934 European champions in the freestyle relay from left to right: Willy den Ouden, Rie Mastenbroek, Jo Timmermans, Jopie Selbach

Willemijntje "Willy" den Ouden (born January 1, 1918 in Rotterdam ; † December 6, 1997 there ) was a Dutch swimmer .

It was world class in freestyle in the 1930s . At the age of 14 she took part in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and won the silver medal in the 100 m freestyle in 1: 07.8 minutes. Only the American world record holder Helene Madison was faster. The Ouden also took second place with the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin , she was Olympic champion with Rie Mastenbroek , Tini Wagner and Jopie Selbach in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay . In 1934 she was also European champion in the 100 m freestyle.

She swam several world records during her career and was the first woman to swim the 100 yards in less than a minute - a record that lasted twenty years and was only broken by Dawn Fraser in 1956.

In 1938 the Ouden ended her career after winning the silver medal again at the European Championships with the freestyle relay. After the Second World War she lived in Sweden for a while and led a secluded life on her return to the Netherlands. In 1970 she was inducted into the international swimming sport hall of fame .

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personal data
SURNAME Ouden, Willy den
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ouden, Willemijntje den
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch swimmer
DATE OF BIRTH January 1, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Rotterdam
DATE OF DEATH December 6, 1997
Place of death Rotterdam