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Gertrude’s Childhood. Gertrude Ederle was born in New York City on October 23 rd , 1905. She was nicknamed ‘Trudy’ or ‘Gertie’. Gertrude was one of five children. Her parents owned a butcher shop and worked hard to run the family business.
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Gertrude’s Childhood Gertrude Ederle was born in New York City on October 23rd, 1905. She was nicknamed ‘Trudy’ or ‘Gertie’. Gertrude was one of five children. Her parents owned a butcher shop and worked hard to run the family business. During her childhood, Gertrude became very interested in swimming. She would spend many days each week learning at the local public swimming pool and then during the summer holidays at the beach in New Jersey. Throughout her childhood, Gertrude developed hearing loss.
Growing Up When Gertrude left school, she decided to focus on swimming competitively as this was her true passion. At the age of 16, Gertrude won her first competition at the local swimming baths. Between the ages of 16 and 20, Gertrude held 29 swimming records! Photo courtesy of Le Miroir des sports (@wikimedia.com) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
The Olympics Gertrude was entered for the Olympic Games in 1924 when she was just 19. The Olympic Games were held in Paris. Gertrude competed as part of a freestyle team and won three medals - one gold and two bronze! During this time, Gertrude’s hearing significantly deteriorated.
The Olympics Following the Olympics, Gertrude was looking for a new challenge so she decided to set her sights on being the first woman to swim the English Channel! In 1925, aged 20, she started training for the event. Swimming across the English Channel, the stretch of water between England and Northern France, meant Gertrude swimming 21 miles! Photo courtesy of Bains News Service (@wikimedia.com) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
Swimming the Channel On her second attempt on August 6th, 1925, Gertrude swam the whole 21 miles of the Channel, through strong currents and waves. She arrived in Kingsdown, England, after swimming for 14 hours and 31 minutes. Gertrude beat the record set by one of the previous male swimmers and claimed the title as the first woman to swim the Channel. Did You Know…? Gertrude swam the Channel wearing only a two-piece bathing costume, goggles and a swimming cap. She covered her body in lanolin to keep out the cold.
Returning Home When she arrived home in New York after her success, Gertrude was greeted by thousands of admiring fans and a ticker tape parade in her honour. Gertrude was nicknamed ‘America’s Best Girl’ by Calvin Coolidge, the President of the USA at the time. Photo courtesy of New York World-Telegram and the Sun(@wikimedia.com) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
Next Steps Gertrude continued to be a world-renowned successful swimmer. By 1945, Gertrude had complete hearing loss and became deaf. Gertrude continued to swim but turned her attention to teaching children to swim and passing on her talent. She taught at the Lexington School for the Deaf.
Her Legacy Gertrude Ederle died in New Jersey in 2003. She was 98 years old. “I just knew if it could be done, it had to be done, and I did it.” —Gertrude Ederle Gertrude was one of the world’s best swimmers, breaking records and inspiring others. Her name continues to live on. In Upper Manhattan, near to where she lived and grew up, there is a swimming pool named ‘The Gertrude Ederle Recreation Centre’.
