Vintage Sports: 1919 Australian Women Swim Team

Women and girls’ participation in sports has come a LONG way over the years. Check out this photo of the Australian Women’s Swim Team from 1919.

While I am not sure of the actual athletes featured in the photo, it is quite possible that both Fanny Durack and Wilhelmina Wylie are in the photo as they were Australia’s first female Olympic medalists in swimming. They finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the 100m freestyle race at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.

I am starting a new weekly series on SportsGirlsPlay to take a look back through history at some of the women who have been pioneers in their sports. If you have any old photos or stories of pioneering women in sports, please let us know in the comments or email char@sportsgirlsplay.com