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Claire Guttenstein, n̩e ''Frick'' then ''Guttenstein'', then ''Gutt'' (September 19, 1886 Р1948) was a Belgian swimmer from the early twentieth century, and was the first Belgian female to represent her country in the Olympic Games and an ex-world record holder in swimming.
Born in
by
Born in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode () or Sint-Joost-ten-Node (), often simply called Saint-Josse or Sint-Joost, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the Ci ...
, she met economist Camille Guttenstein while he studied at the Free University of Brussels University of Brussels may refer to several institutions in Brussels, Belgium: Current institutions
* Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), a French-speaking university established as a separate entity in 1970
*Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), a D ...
, they shared the same interest in theatre and they married in 1906, she went on to have three sons Etienne, Francois and Jean-Max.Dictionnaire des femmes belges: XIXe et XXe sièclesby
Éliane Gubin
Éliane Gubin (born in 1942) is a Belgian historian, researcher and professor of political and social history, specializing in the history of women and feminism. In the late 1980s, she initiated the introduction of women's history at the Universi ...
; Lannoo Uitgeverij; 2006; p. 261-262
In the period from October 2, 1910 to 29 September 1911, Guttenstein was the world record holder at 100 meters freestyle, with a time of 1:26.6. During this period, she was known for being victorious in many races with men. During the 1912 Olympic Games
Year 191 ( CXCI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Bradua (or, less frequently, year 944 ''Ab urbe condit ...
in Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, twenty-four-year-old Guttenstein swam in one competition, the 100 meters freestyle, where she finished in fifth place in the third qualifying race and was eliminated from further competition, she was the oldest out of all the swimmers in this event.
In the early 1920s her husband decided to change their surname to Gutt. In 1940, she convinced her husband to leave Belgium; In London, Camille would play an important role in the Belgian government in exile
The Belgian Government in London (french: Gouvernement belge à Londres, nl, Belgische regering in Londen), also known as the Pierlot IV Government, was the government in exile of Belgium between October 1940 and September 1944 during World W ...
, Claire herself remained in Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
where she headed the charity ''Secours d'hiver.
See also
*World record progression 100 metres freestyle
The first world record in the 100 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1905. In the short course (25 metres) swimming events, the world's governing body ...
References