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Jennie Fletcher

Jennie Fletcher
Jennie Fletcher c1905.jpg
Jennie Fletcher, c. 1905
Personal information
Full name Jennie Fletcher
National team  Great Britain
Born (1890-03-19)19 March 1890
Belgrave, Leicester, England
Died 17 January 1968(1968-01-17) (aged 77)
Teeswater, Ontario, Canada
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
Club Leicester Ladies SC

Jennie Fletcher (19 March 1890 – 17 January 1968), later known by her married name Jennie Hyslop, was a British competitive swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, and former world record-holder. In 1905 she set a new world record in the 100-yard freestyle that stood for seven years. She was selected for the 1908 Olympics, but the women's swimming events were cancelled due to a shortage of participants. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the individual 100-metre freestyle race. In 1971 she was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer".

Fletcher was born in an underprivileged family of 11 siblings and had to combine swimming with daily 12-hour work. In 1913 she began teaching swimming in Leicester, which ended her competitive career as she turned from an amateur into a professional. In 1917, she married and immigrated to Canada, where she gave birth to a daughter and five sons.


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