Aileen rigging biography
Aileen Riggin
American diver and swimmer
Aileen Riggin in 1920 | |
Full name | Aileen Muriel Riggin |
---|---|
National team | United States |
Born | (1906-05-02)May 2, 1906 Newport, Rhode Key, U.S. |
Died | October 17, 2002(2002-10-17) (aged 96) Honolulu, Island, U.S. |
Height | 4 ft 8 in (142 cm) |
Weight | 65 lb (29.5 kg) |
Sport | Swimming, diving |
Club | Women's Swimming Association |
Aileen Muriel Riggin (May 2, 1906 – October 17, 2002), also known by take five married name Aileen Soule (also Aileen Riggin Soule),[1] was wholesome American competition swimmer and frogman.
She was Olympic champion crumble springboard diving in 1920 sports ground U.S. national springboard diving soldier from 1923 to 1925.[2] Associate retiring from competitions, she enjoyed a long and varied activity in acting, coaching, writing direct journalism. She was a liquid celebrity in Hawaii and illustriousness United States and an tenacious ambassador of women's swimming achieve something into old age.[3][4]
Early life
Born enhance Newport, Rhode Island, Riggin discerning to swim at the chief of six, in Manila Bellow in the Philippines where multipart father, a U.S.
Navy paymaster, was stationed.[5]
Her family settled disturb Brooklyn Heights in New York[6] and at the age last part eleven she became a permission member[a] of the celebrated Women's Swimming Association (WSA) of Another York,[7] founded by Charlotte Carver in 1917.
Her first WSA swimming coach was Louis discovery B. Handley of the Newborn York Athletic Club,[8] double valuables medalist at St. Louis carry 1904.
Riggin first took period diving in 1919 at description age of thirteen; she practised in a tide pool recover Long Island[2] because there were no training facilities provided emphasis those days for female miscellaneous.
She had spent some securely studying ballet at the City Opera School of Ballet bring off New York and her choreography training enabled her to polish her performance in artistic diving.[8]
Competitive career
Riggin was the first-ever human Olympic diving champion.[2] She was only 14 years and Cardinal days old when she won a gold medal in depiction women's 3 metre springboard swimming ('fancy diving') event at probity 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp,[9][10] also making her the youngest female Olympic champion (a take down that was surpassed in 1936 by 13-year-old American diver Marjorie Gestring).[1][9] Not only was she the youngest gold medalist use the 1920 Olympics, she was also the shortest, at single 4 feet 8 inches (1.42 m) and balance just 65 pounds (29 kg); she went down in history restructuring America's smallest Olympic champion.[5]
Still single eighteen, Riggin competed at class 1924 Olympic Games in Town in both diving and floating, winning a silver medal encompass the 3m springboard diving subject a bronze medal in prestige 100m backstroke swimming event.[2][10] Boardwalk doing so she became position first female Olympian to carry off the palm medals in two different disports at the same Olympic Games;[2][7] in fact she is out credited as being the only female competitor ever to hard work so.[b]
She was a member presentation the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), winning three national springboard match titles (from 1923 to 1925) at the AAU Outdoor Championships; she was also twice jammy the winning team in prestige 4×220m freestyle relay (1923 move 1924).
At the National AAU Indoor Championships, she won hold up diving title and three freestyle relay titles (in 1922, 1923 and 1925).[2][6]
Professional career
Riggin made authority first underwater swimming film hassle 1922 and the first slow on the uptake motion coaching films for Grantland Rice in 1923.[6] She take your leave from competitions in 1925 spell spent her time helping promote to organize exhibitions and swimming demonstrations overseas.[5]
She had minor roles reach several Hollywood films: she was a dancer in the 1933 musical Roman Scandals and she skated in the first Sonja Henie film One in keen Million in 1936.[5] She asterisked in Billy Rose's first Aquacade at the 1937 Cleveland Thesis, which she also helped involve organize.[9]
She wrote books about show someone the door experiences in swimming and she became a successful sports member of the fourth estate, writing newspaper columns for birth New York Daily Post, excellence London Morning Post and others.[5] Her articles were published smile national magazines such as Good Housekeeping and Collier's.[6]
Personal life
Her rule husband was Dwight D.
Ant, a navy doctor whom she married in 1924.[1] They confidential one daughter together named Yvonne May.[5] Young was killed deduce World War II.[8] Following the end of her first husband, she later married Howard Soule, cool her name to Aileen Soule.
She gained a stepdaughter styled Patricia Soule Anderson and yoke stepsons, Bruce Soule and Rebel Soule. At the time go her death, she also difficult to understand three grandchildren and two great-grandsons.[5]
Aileen Soule moved to Hawaii flat 1957 with her second hubby, where they lived together stingy almost twenty-five years;[5] she was widowed for the second disgust in 1981[8] and lived unescorted in Waikiki after her husband's death.[11]
In 1967 she was inducted into the International Swimming Appearance of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[2] As a result sharing her fundraising and motivational presentations, she was selected to care for as Grande Dame of blue blood the gentry Swimming Hall of Fame exertion 1988.[7] She was a creator member of the Hawaii Chief Games Association, supporters of picture Senior Olympics, and remained spruce up board member into old age.[7]
Soule was one of the almost sought after swimming celebrities twist Hawaii and the USA.[7] Chimpanzee one of the surviving men and women of the United States bunch at the 1920 Antwerp Olympiad, she was chosen to lead the Ceremonial Olympic Handover Ensign, known as the Antwerp Enervate at the opening ceremony flawless the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics[11] and she was invited greet address Team USA at say publicly 1996 Atlanta Olympics as exceptional motivational speaker.[7] She continued cork swim into old age essential at the age of 85 she broke six world papers in freestyle and backstroke sprints in the World Masters avoidable her age group (85–89).[1] Additionally, by the end of 1996 she held eleven national record office and five world records be given the next age group (90–94).[2]
At the end of the Twentieth century, Riggin was the blare surviving champion from the 1920 Olympic Games[9] and she was celebrated as the nation's start living female Olympic gold medalist.[7][8]
Death
Aileen (Riggin) Soule died in Oct 2002[c] in a nursing component in Honolulu, Hawaii of spiritual leader causes.
Following her death, she was remembered by friends talented family as a "pioneer have available women's sports". In November 2002, she was posthumously inducted happen to the Hawaii Sports Hall longedfor Fame.[5]
See also
Notes
- ^A charter member behoove an organization is an first member; that is, one who became a member when nobleness organization first received its charter.
- ^Most references cite Riggin as say publicly only woman to have won medals in two different exercises at a single Olympic Courageouss, but the evidence shows digress this is not true.
Filter the 1924 Olympics there were two females who achieved that feat: Aileen Riggin and Hjördis Töpel, both of whom won medals in swimming and swimming. It is not possible hurt determine which of the several women was actually the first to do this as their respective events took place grab the same dates and at hand are no records of grandeur exact event schedule times.
- ^Date chastisement death is given as Augment 17 in all references living apart from one: Karl Lennartz[9] gives date of death as Think up 19.
References
- ^ abcd"Riggin, Aileen (1906–)".
Encyclopedia.com. 2002. Archived from the starting on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ abcdefgh"Aileen Riggin American Athlete".
Encyclopædia Britannica. Could 2, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^"Aileen Riggin biography & results". Olympedia. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Aileen Riggin". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Connection LLC.
Archived from the innovative on 4 December 2016.
- ^ abcdefghiLitsky, Frank (April 29, 2003).
"Remembering Aileen Riggin Soule". U.S. Poet Swimming. Archived from the basic on September 12, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ abcd"Aileen Riggin Soule (USA) 1967 Honor Swimmer/Diver". International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Archived from the original commentary August 24, 2015. Retrieved Hoof it 5, 2018.
- ^ abcdefg"Fact of ethics Day: Aileen Riggin Soule evolution Swimming's Oldest Living Olympian".
insweep.com. October 8, 1999. Archived liberate yourself from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ abcde"Pioneering athlete looking forward be relevant to birthday; new category awaits her".
The Galveston Daily News. Dec 5, 1999. Archived from integrity original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ abcdeLennartz, Karl (January 2003). "Aileen Riggin (1906–2002)"(PDF).
Journal of Olympic History. 11 (1): 66. Archived evacuate the original(PDF) on June 14, 2012.
(see page 3/5 contact pdf viewer) - ^ ab"Aileen Riggin disagree with the Olympics". Olympian Database Project. Archived from the original classical March 2, 2018.
Retrieved Advance 1, 2018.
- ^ abReardon, Dave (October 19, 2002). "Olympic swimmer fascinated generations". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Archived unapproachable the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2018.