Making HERstory: Remembering Gertrude Ederle’s Record-Setting Swim
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“When somebody tells me I cannot do something, that's when I do it,”
Gertrude Ederle
It is incredibly inspiring when a woman is driven to succeed despite an expectation of failure. Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle is one such woman. She made HERstory in 1926 when she was the first woman to successfully swim across the English Channel.
A competitive American swimmer, Ederle’s devotion to her sport was evident throughout her life. She began competing as a schoolgirl and between 1921 and 1925 she held 29 swimming records. She went on to compete in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, bringing home a gold and two bronze medals. It was after the Olympics that Ederle identified her ultimate swimming goal – the English Channel swim.
Ederle’s historic swim began in France at Cap Gris-Nez. She commenced her trek in turbulent waters wearing nothing but a two-piece bathing suit, goggles, a swim cap, and a coating of lanolin to protect against both the cold and jellyfish stings.
HERstory was made 14 hours and 31 minutes later when she came ashore at Kingsdown England. Her time beat the previous record – held by a man - by almost 2 hours. Her record stood until 1950, nearly a quarter of a century.
It is interesting to note that Ederle’s historic swim was her second attempt. She had an unsuccessful first attempt to swim the channel in 1925. But this didn’t discourage her. She remained focused in pursuing her accomplishment. She is on record as having said, “I knew it could be done, it had to be done, and I did it.” Talk about grit and determination!