Judith Joy Davies (5 June 1928 – 27 March 2016) was an Australian former

backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disa ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

of the 1940s and 1950s, who won a bronze medal in the 100-metre backstroke at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

in London. At the national level, she won 17 Australian championships in freestyle, backstroke and

medley swimming Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles—backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle—into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley (IM) or by four swimmers as a medley relay. Individual ...

. She was well known after her swimming career as a long-time sporting journalist for the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

newspapers '' The Argus'' and ''The Sun-News Pictorial''. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

did not interrupt her competitive swimming career. At international level, Davies concentrated on the backstroke, winning seven consecutive national titles from 1946 to 1952. She also won the 100-yard freestyle in 1947 and the 880-yard freestyle the following year. At the 1948 Olympics, Davies set an Olympic record in the heat of the 100m backstroke. However, in the final, she finished behind Denmark's

Karen Harup Karen Margrethe Harup Petersen (20 November 1924 – 9 July 2009) was a Danish swimmer. She competed in four events at the 1948 Summer Olympics and won three medals: a gold in the 100 m backstroke and silvers in the 400 m and 4 × 100 m freestyl ...

and the United States'

Suzanne Zimmerman Suzanne Winona Zimmerman (July 13, 1925 – March 14, 2021), also known by her married name Suzanne Edwards, was an American competition swimmer and Olympic medalist. At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Zimmerman won a silver medal in th ...

. Two years later at the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

in Auckland, Davies won three gold medals. She first won the 110-yard backstroke and then teamed up with Denise Spencer, Denise Norton and Marjorie McQuade to win the 4×110-yard freestyle relay. Finally, Davies with McQuade and Nancy Lyons won the 3×110-yard medley relay. At the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

in Helsinki, Davies switched to the 400-metre freestyle, but she disappointed, managing only ninth place. Davies was inducted into the

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...

in 2011.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Judy-Joy 1928 births 2016 deaths Australian female backstroke swimmers Australian female freestyle swimmers Australian female medley swimmers Olympic swimmers for Australia Swimmers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1950 British Empire Games Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Journalists from Melbourne Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Australian sports journalists Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming The Argus (Melbourne) people Swimmers from Melbourne People educated at Firbank Girls' Grammar School 20th-century Australian women Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games Sportswomen from Victoria (state)

See also

References

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