Gertrude Ederle

Born

October 23, 1905

Died

November 30, 2003 (aged 98)

Known as

swimmer, open water swimmer

Gertrude Caroline Ederle was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and world record-holder in five events. On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel with her finish time of 14 hours and 45 minutes, beating the record set by Enrique Tirabocchi in 1923 by one hour, 48 minutes. Among other nicknames, the press called her "Queen of the Waves".

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