Ederle breaks six swimming records in Brighton Beach

One hundred years ago today … Gertrude Ederle, 15 years old, broke records en route to winning the Joseph P. Day Cup at the Brighton Beach Baths.

*Daily News*. 5 September, 1922, p. 21. *Library of Congress.*

Local paper the Standard Union listed Ederle’s triumphs in the races of 500 meters, 500 yards, 440 yards, 400 meters, 400 meters, and 40 yards, all before a “large holiday crowd” at the Brighton pool, located on Coney Island Avenue just south of Brighton Beach Avenue.

*The Standard Union,* % September, 1922, p. 12. *Library of Congress.*

Ederle, a native New Yorker, daughter of German immigrants, had made her first splash earlier in the summer, winning an August 1 race at the Brighton facility.

*The Evening World.* 2 August, 1922, p. 3. *Library of Congress*.

Ederle wasn’t the only wunderkind at Brighton in 1922. On July 22, 18-year-old Johnny Weismuller had won the National A.A.U. race there.

*New York Tribune*. 23 July, 1922, p. 21. *Library of Congress.*

Both athletes were and are still considered among the greatest of their time, though Weismuller might be now better known for playing Tarzan.

– Jonathan Goldman, September 4, 2022

TAGS: athletics, women, sports, swimming, Brooklyn, summer, pool, beach