Willy den Ouden

Willy den Ouden (1918 to 1997) was a Dutch freestyle swimmer from Rotterdam who dominated the sport in the 1930s. At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, at only fourteen, she was the youngest competitor of the Games and won silver medals in the 100 metre freestyle and, as part of the Dutch team, in the 4 by 100 metre freestyle relay. At the 1936 Games in Berlin she finished fourth in the 100 metre final, then took gold with the Dutch relay team. Between 1933 and 1936 she set a long list of world records, including the 100 metre freestyle mark of 1:04.6 that stood until 1956, and in 1934 she became the first woman to swim 100 yards in under a minute. She also won several European Championship titles in 1934. After retiring in 1938 she tried acting, spent the war years in England and Sweden, and returned to Rotterdam, where she lived quietly. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1970.