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JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000185

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Woman to Win an Individual Olympic Gold Medal in Swimming

Record holder

Éva SzékelyPerson

Record value

29 July 1952

Country represented: HungaryAchievement location: Helsinki, FinlandAchievement date: 29 July 1952Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Official record definition

The earliest Jewish woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in a swimming event.

Measurement methodology

Chronological comparison of verified Jewish Olympic medalists in the defined sport/discipline, using official Olympic event dates and results.

Measurement point: Women’s 200 m breaststroke Olympic final in Helsinki on 29 July 1952, when Éva Székely won gold in an Olympic-record 2:51.7.

Record story

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.

Media

Record video

How JWR verified this record

Verification status
Verified
Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Olympedia records Éva Székely as the women's 200 m breaststroke champion at Helsinki 1952, with the final held on 29 July 1952 and won in an Olympic-record 2:51.7.

Superiority evidence

The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame documents Éva Székely as a Jewish Olympic swimming champion. Review of earlier Olympic women's swimming champions found no earlier qualifying Jewish woman who won an individual Olympic swimming gold medal.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Eva Szekely — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • 200 metres Breaststroke, Women — Helsinki 1952 — Olympedia
  • Swimmer Eva Szekely 1952 — Wikimedia Commons / Nationaal Archief

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Jewish Olympic Medalists — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Have documented contrary evidence or a stronger counter-candidate? Submit a challenge for review.

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Sources & Verification

  • 200 metres Breaststroke, Women — Helsinki 1952

    Independent publicationOlympedia

    What this proves: Confirms Székely’s gold, Olympic-record time and final date of 29 July 1952.

  • Eva Szekely

    Independent publicationInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

    What this proves: Documents Székely’s Jewish history and 1952 Olympic swimming gold.

  • Jewish Olympic Medalists

    Independent publicationInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

    What this proves: Provides the chronology of Jewish women Olympic swimming medalists used for the FIRST comparison.

  • Swimmer Eva Szekely 1952

    Holder-controlled websiteWikimedia Commons / Nationaal Archief

    What this proves: Documents the 1952 archival photograph and Nationaal Archief/Anefo provenance.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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