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Article: Ederle's swim liberated female athletes in 1926.(SPORTS)(THE WAY IT WAS)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- December 8, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Dick Heller, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The 20-year-old swimmer had been in the icy water for four hours when her left leg grew numb, preventing her from kicking properly. The current was so powerful that for every yard she covered, she seemed to lose two. Her father and her coach took turns leaning over the side of the trailing boat and shouting, "You must come out!"
"No, no - what for?" replied the swimmer, fighting off nausea. So she struggled on for another 10 hours until 9:40 p.m., when her feet finally touched up on the sandy shore of Kingsdown, England, as hundreds of people cheered and waved flares.
The date was Aug. 6, 1926, and ...