SWIMMING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2865, 31 March 1925, Page 3

SWIMMING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

Miss Helen Wainwright, national all-round swimming champion of America for 1924, will attempt to swim the English Channel next summer. Miss Wainwright, who is 18 years of age, has received an official authorisation from the Women’s Swimming Association. She will sail in June, and train for four weeks. One of the leading swimmers of the world, Aliss Wainwright was a prominent member of the United States team at the Olympic games last year, and gained second place in the women’s 400 metres race. No woman has yet swum the Channel, though many have made the attempt. In the opinion Jabez Wolffe, who has made 21 unsuccessful attempts, it is most improbable that a woman ever will succeed. One great handicap, be states, is that a woman has to wear a costume, while male swimmers set out on the longt journey clad only in “grease and goggles.” A costume restricts movement and causes serious chafing. Further, the feat calls for greater strength and stamina than any woman possesses. If a woman does succeed it will be the biggest athletic achievement the world has ever seen.