First Jewish Woman to Win an Individual Olympic Gold Medal in Swimming
Titular del récord
Valor del récord
29 July 1952
Éva Székely became the first Jewish woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming when she won the women’s 200 metres breaststroke final at the Helsinki Olympic Games on 29 July 1952. Swimming for Hungary, Székely finished in 2:51.7, an Olympic record, ahead of fellow Hungarian Éva Novák and Britain’s Elenor Gordon. Her victory was especially significant because Székely had survived anti-Jewish persecution in Hungary during the Second World War and later returned to elite competition. She had already competed at the 1948 London Olympics and went on to win another Olympic medal in 1956. JWR uses the exact date of the Helsinki final as the Record Value; the event, distance, result and historical context belong in this Record Story.
- País representado
- Hungría
- Lugar del logro
- Helsinki, Finlandia
- Fecha del logro
- 29 de julio de 1952
