Sybil Lorina Bauer (September 18, 1903 – January 31, 1927) was an American competition

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 ...

, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. She represented the United States at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

, where she won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke. Bauer was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, the daughter of Norwegian immigrant parents. She graduated from Schurz High School in Chicago. Afterward, she attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in nearby

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

. From 1921 to 1926, she set 23 world records in women's swimming, mostly in backstroke events. During a 1922 meet in Bermuda, she also became the first woman to break a men's record,p. 901
/ref> finishing the 440-yard backstroke in a time of 6:24.8 (about four seconds ahead of the old mark). However, that record was unofficial, since it took place at an unsanctioned contest. Bauer represented the United States at the

in Paris, where she won the gold medal in the women's 100-meter backstroke. She finished with a time of 1:23.2, four seconds ahead of silver medalist

Phyllis Harding Phyllis May Harding (15 December 1907 – 16 November 1992), later known by her married name Phyllis Turner, was an English backstroke and freestyle swimmer who competed for Great Britain in the 1924 Summer Olympics, 1928 Summer Olympics, 19 ...

. Bauer was engaged to future television host Ed Sullivan, but she died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

during her senior year of college at the age of 23. She was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1967. Bauer is buried at

Mount Olive Cemetery Mount Olive Cemetery or Mt. Olive Cemetery may refer to: * Mount Olive Cemetery (Chicago) * Mount Olive Cemetery (Jackson, Mississippi), NRHP-listed in Hinds County * Mt. Olive Cemetery (Clarksville, Tennessee), NRHP-listed in Montgomery County ...

in Chicago.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Sybil 1903 births 1927 deaths American female backstroke swimmers American people of Norwegian descent Deaths from cancer in Illinois Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Northwestern Wildcats women's swimmers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Swimmers from Chicago Swimmers at the 1924 Summer Olympics Carl Schurz High School alumni 20th-century American women

See also

References