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Jennie Fletcher

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Jennie Fletcher
Jennie Fletcher, c. 1905
Personal information
Full nameJennie Fletcher
National teamGreat Britain
Born(1890-03-19)19 March 1890
Belgrave, Leicester, England
Died17 January 1968(1968-01-17) (aged 77)
Teeswater, Ontario, Canada
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubLeicester Ladies SC
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1912 Stockholm 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1912 Stockholm 100 m freestyle

Jennie Fletcher (19 March 1890 – 17 January 1968), later known by her married name Jennie Hyslop, was a British competitive swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, and former world record-holder.[1] In 1905 she set a new world record in the 100-yard freestyle that stood for seven years.[2] She was selected for the 1908 Olympics, but the women's swimming events were cancelled due to a shortage of participants. [3] At the 1912 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the individual 100-metre freestyle race.[4] In 1971 she was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer".[5]

Fletcher was born in an underprivileged family of 11 siblings and had to combine swimming with daily 12-hour work.[5] In 1913, she began teaching swimming in Leicester, which ended her competitive career as she turned from an amateur into a professional. In 1917, she married and immigrated to Canada, where she gave birth to a daughter and five sons.[6][7]

Belle Moore, Jennie Fletcher, Annie Speirs, and Irene Steer at the 1912 Olympics

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jennie Fletcher". Olympedia. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Timeline of Women's Swimming History" (PDF). ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2010.
  3. ^ "Jennie Fletcher". Swimming.org.
  4. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jennie Fletcher". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Jennie Fletcher (GBR)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Champion swimmer finally honoured", BBC.com (14 December 2004). Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Leicester's Olympian honoured . . . 100 years after her triumph", Leicester Mercury (24 March 2012). Retrieved 17 March 2015.
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