17 Facts About Clare Dennis

Clara "Clare" Dennis, later known by her married name Clare Golding, was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1930s who won the gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

Clare Dennis pleaded with her father to let her join, which he agreed to on the condition that she first swim the 33 yards across Clovelly Bay.

Clare Dennis managed this by pushing off the bottom of the ocean, disguising this with extravagant stroking.

Clare Dennis attended Randwick Primary School, where she acquired a reputation for being interested in sport rather than schoolwork.

Clare Dennis spent large amounts of time playing cricket against the male students.

Clare Dennis repeated this in 1933,1934 and 1935, with the championships not being held in 1932, remaining unbeaten until her retirement in 1936.

Clare Dennis considered retiring, but her mother convinced her to continue.

In January 1932, Clare Dennis broke the 110-yard Australian record and then the 200-metre world record, gaining automatic selection for the Olympic team at the age of 15.

Clare Dennis's chances took a boost when Lisa Rocke, who had claimed her 200 m breaststroke world record, was not sent to represent Germany.

Clare Dennis won her heat of the 200-metre breaststroke, setting an Olympic record.

Clare Dennis narrowly escaped disqualification when a protest was lodged against her "inappropriate" costume on the grounds that it exposed too much of her shoulder blade.

Clare Dennis changed her swimming style after the heats on the advice of American swimmer Buster Crabbe, who recommended she swim three strokes underwater after her starting dive before surfacing.

In 1933, Clare Dennis beat her own Australian 220-yard breaststroke record, and in 1934 she captured gold in the 220-yard breaststroke at the 1934 British Empire Games in London.

Clare Dennis met her future husband, George Golding, an Australian track and field athlete at the Olympics.

Clare Dennis won gold at the 1930 British Empire Games and was the Australian 440-yard champion in 1934 and the 440-yard hurdles champion in 1932 and 1934.

Clare Dennis became a swimming coach and hairdresser, owning two salons.

Clare Dennis died in 1971 in Manly, New South Wales at the age of 55 from cancer, and was posthumously inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1982.