Helene Madison

Helene Madison

Madison (left) with Johnny Weissmuller at 1932 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Helene Emma Madison
National team	United States
Born	(1913-06-19)June 19, 1913 Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	November 27, 1970(1970-11-27) (aged 57) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Washington Athletic Club
Medal record Women's swimming Representing the United States Women's swimming 1932 Los Angeles 100 m freestyle 1932 Los Angeles 400 m freestyle 1932 Los Angeles 4×100 m freestyle

Helene Emma Madison (June 19, 1913 – November 27, 1970) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.^[1]

Madison won three gold medals in freestyle event at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming, along with Romeo Neri of Italy, the most successful athlete at the 1932 Olympics: women's 100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay.^[2]

In sixteen months in 1930 and 1931, she broke sixteen world records in various distances. Following the 1932 Olympics she appeared in the films The Human Fish and The Warrior's Husband and hence, as a professional, was not allowed to participate in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. After her swimming career, she had odd jobs as a swimming instructor, department store clerk and a nurse.

Personal life

Madison had one child, Helene Madison Ware, who at one time lived in Marysville, Washington. Divorced three times and living alone, she died of throat cancer in 1970 in Seattle, Washington.^[3]

Hall of fame

She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1966, and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1992.^[4]

The Helene Madison Pool, built in 1970 in the Bitter Lake neighborhood of North Seattle, is dedicated to her memory.

See also

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• World record progression 100 metres freestyle
• World record progression 200 metres freestyle
• World record progression 400 metres freestyle
• World record progression 800 metres freestyle
• World record progression 1500 metres freestyle
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay

References

1. Stein, Alan (February 17, 2014). "Freestyle swimmer Helene Madison wins first of three gold medals at the 1932 Summer Olympics on August 8, 1932". HistoryLink.org. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
2. Helene Madison Archived 2012-10-21 at the Wayback Machine. Sports-Reference.com
3. Mildred Andrews, "Madison, Helene (1914-1970)," HistoryLink.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
4. "Helene Madison (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.

External links

• Helene Madison at World Aquatics
• Helene Madison at the International Swimming Hall of Fame (archive)
• Helene Madison at the Team USA Hall of Fame
• Helene Madison at Olympics.com
• Helene Madison at Olympedia
• Helene Madison at IMDb 

Records
Preceded by Albina Osipowich	Women's 100-meter freestyle world record-holder (long course) 14 March 1930 – 9 July 1933	Succeeded by Willy den Ouden
Preceded by Martha Norelius	Women's 200 metre freestyle world record holder (long course) 6 March 1930 – 3 May 1933	Succeeded by Willy den Ouden
Preceded by Martha Norelius	Women's 400 metre freestyle world record holder (long course) 13 February 1931 – 12 July 1934	Succeeded by Willy den Ouden
Preceded by Josephine McKim	Women's 800-meter freestyle world record-holder (long course) 6 July 1930 – 23 July 1931	Succeeded by Yvonne Godard
Preceded by Martha Norelius	Women's 1,500-meter freestyle world record-holder (long course) 15 July 1931 – 26 June 1936	Succeeded by Grete Frederiksen