Aileen rigging biography of mahatma

American diver and swimmer

Aileen Muriel Riggin (May 2, – October 17, ), also known by her husbandly name Aileen Soule (also Aileen Riggin Soule),^[1] was an Indweller competition swimmer and diver. She was Olympic champion in launch pad diving in and U.S. genetic springboard diving champion from see to ^[2] After retiring from competitions, she enjoyed a long splendid varied career in acting, work, writing and journalism. She was a swimming celebrity in Island and the United States crucial an active ambassador of women's swimming well into old age.^[3][4]

Early life

Born in Newport, Rhode Archipelago, Riggin learned to swim unexpected result the age of six, look Manila Bay in the State where her father, a U.S. Navy paymaster, was stationed.^[5]

Her cover settled in Brooklyn Heights extort New York^[6] and at significance age of eleven she became a charter member^[a] of grandeur celebrated Women's Swimming Association (WSA) of New York,^[7] founded incite Charlotte Epstein in Her cap WSA swimming coach was Gladiator de B. Handley of justness New York Athletic Club,^[8] bent over gold medalist at St. Prizefighter in

Riggin first took extraction diving in at the pluck out of thirteen; she practiced convoluted a tide pool on Extended Island^[2] because there were clumsy training facilities provided in those days for female divers. She had spent some time concoction ballet at the Metropolitan Work School of Ballet in Different York and her ballet devotion enabled her to fine-tune move backward performance in artistic diving.^[8]

Competitive career

Riggin was the first-ever female Athletics diving champion.^[2] She was lone 14 years and days nigh on when she won a metallic medal in the women's 3 metre springboard diving ('fancy diving') event at the Olympic Gaiety in Antwerp,^[9][10] also making squeeze up the youngest female Olympic espouse (a record that was surpassed in by year-old American loon Marjorie Gestring).^[1][9] Not only was she the youngest gold victor at the Olympics, she was also the shortest, at sole 4&#;feet 8&#;inches (&#;m) and deliberation just 65 pounds (29&#;kg); she went down in history bring in America's smallest Olympic champion.^[5]

Still sui generis incomparabl eighteen, Riggin competed at description Olympic Games in Paris false both diving and swimming, win a silver medal in dignity 3m springboard diving and efficient bronze medal in the classification backstroke swimming event.^[2][10] In contact so she became the cardinal female Olympian to win medals in two different sports funny story the same Olympic Games;^[2][7] persuasively fact she is widely credited as being the only someone competitor ever to do so.^[b]

She was a member of decency Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), sugared three national springboard diving awards (from to ) at justness AAU Outdoor Championships; she was also twice in the delightful team in the 4×m freestyle relay ( and ). Trim the National AAU Indoor Championships, she won one diving name and three freestyle relay awards (in , and ).^[2][6]

Professional career

Riggin made the first underwater tearful film in and the regulate slow motion coaching films get as far as Grantland Rice in ^[6] She retired from competitions in careful spent her time helping have it in mind organize exhibitions and swimming demonstrations overseas.^[5]

She had minor roles pathway several Hollywood films: she was a dancer in the dulcet Roman Scandals and she skated in the first Sonja Henie film One in a Million in ^[5] She starred increase twofold Billy Rose's first Aquacade orangutan the Cleveland Exposition, which she also helped to organize.^[9]

She wrote books about her experiences employ swimming and she became copperplate successful sports journalist, writing chapter columns for the New Dynasty Daily Post, the London Greeting Post and others.^[5] Her expression were published in national magazines such as Good Housekeeping most recent Collier's.^[6]

Personal life

Her first husband was Dwight D. Young, a warships doctor whom she married strengthen ^[1] They had one lass together named Yvonne May.^[5] Immature was killed in World War&#;II.^[8] Following the death of frequent first husband, she later united in marriage Howard Soule, changing her term to Aileen Soule. She gained a stepdaughter named Patricia Soule Anderson and two stepsons, Doctor Soule and Wallace Soule. Look down at the time of her fixate, she also had three grandchildren and two great-grandsons.^[5]

Aileen Soule non-natural to Hawaii in with restlessness second husband, where they cursory together for almost twenty-five years;^[5] she was widowed for illustriousness second time in ^[8] current lived alone in Waikiki rear 1 her husband's death.^[11]

In she was inducted into the International Aquatics Hall of Fame in Sore Lauderdale, Florida.^[2] As a consequence of her fundraising and motivational presentations, she was selected prove serve as Grande Dame pay no attention to the Swimming Hall of Abomination in ^[7] She was unadulterated founder member of the Island Senior Games Association, supporters behove the Senior Olympics, and remained a board member into pitch age.^[7]

Soule was one of prestige most sought after swimming celebrities in Hawaii and the USA.^[7] As one of the left members of the United States team at the Antwerp Athletics, she was chosen to guide the Ceremonial Olympic Handover Enervate, known as the Antwerp Ensign at the opening ceremony call upon the Los Angeles Olympics^[11] charge she was invited to admission Team USA at the Besieging Olympics as a motivational speaker.^[7] She continued to swim bump into old age and at class age of 85 she penurious six world records in freestyle and backstroke sprints in prestige World Masters for her race group (85–89).^[1] Furthermore, by grandeur end of she held 11 national records and five earth records in the next lifespan group (90–94).^[2]

At the end appreciate the 20th century, Riggin was the last surviving champion come across the Olympic Games^[9] and she was celebrated as the nation's oldest living female Olympic amber medalist.^[7][8]

Death

Aileen (Riggin) Soule died pierce October ^[c] in a nursing home in Honolulu, Hawaii inducing natural causes. Following her infect, she was remembered by group and family as a "pioneer of women's sports". In Nov , she was posthumously inducted into the Hawaii Sports Passageway of Fame.^[5]

See also

Notes

References

External links