Grinham, Judith (1939—)

British athlete who was the first English woman to win an Olympic gold medal for swimming in 32 years. Born Judith Brenda Grinham in England on March 6, 1939.

In 1956, at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, British teenager Judith Grin-ham won a gold medal for the 100-meter back-stroke. During the event, the 17-year-old got off to a poor start and was only fifth at the turn. With ten meters to go, she caught up with America's Carin Cone and outtouched her at the finish; both had turned in a time of 1:12.9 seconds, setting an Olympic record. Grimshaw's teammate Margaret Edwards took the bronze with 1:13.1.

Cone, Carin (1940—)

American swimmer. Born Carin Alice Cone on April 18, 1940.

America's Carin Cone won the silver medal in the backstroke at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956.

Edwards, Margaret (1939—)

English swimmer. Born on March 28, 1939.

In 1956, England's Margaret Edwards took the bronze medal in the backstroke at the Melbourne Olympics.

The victory marked the first time in 32 years that an English woman had won an Olympic gold medal for swimming. Britain's Lucy Morton had previously won a gold in the 200-meter breaststroke in 1924. Grinham later added the Empire (1958) and European (1958) backstroke titles to her Olympic success, becoming the first competitor ever to accomplish the feat. On the eve of her 20th birthday, she retired from swimming to pursue a career in journalism. Grinham documented her years in swimming in her autobiography Water Babe (1960).

sources:

Arlott, John, ed. The Oxford Companion to World Sports and Games. London: Oxford University Press, 1975.

Grinham, Judy. Water Babe. London: Oldbourne Book, 1960.