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226:. By 1924, she held every British record from 100 yards to the mile. She should have gone to the 1924 Olympics, but she was yet 21, and her mother demanded that she should be sent too as a chaperone. In the standoff over this, James lost her place. She was thought to have taken three medals, but she cited "unfair criticism, unfair treatment and boycott by certain officials in the swimming world." Very shortly after the Olympics, she gained independence on her 21st birthday, and she took a job with
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247:. They had one child, Donald Hugh McAllister. That same year in March, Mercedes Gleitze was in Liverpool where she was attempting a 31-hour exhibition endurance swim. James turned up without warning and after Gleitze realized who she was, she took up her offer to look after her and feed her during the long night of her attempt.
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James was born in 1904 to
Gertrude Acton and John James. Her father was a postman and window cleaner. She began training at the Garston Baths in Liverpool. Her initial swims were arranged for her to occupy her time during her school's religious classes as her parents did not want her to attend.
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By the time she was 16, she was the best choice to go to the
Olympics, but her speed was no match for the Americans who took most of the medals. There were not many swimming events for women, but the British relay team took silver in the
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became the first woman to swim the
Channel. Another attempt by James was proposed for 1928 but it never happened. One source says that during this time she was still working for Cunard.
206:. James won a silver medal in the women's 4×100-metre freestyle relay and swam in the semifinals of the 300-metre freestyle event. She held seven world records and 29 English records.
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She held seven world records and 29 English records and every
British record from 150 yards to one mile.
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Doloranda Hannah Pember, 'Gleitze, Mercedes (1900–1981)',
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Her biography "Lost
Olympics" - Ian Hugh McAllister
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469:"Mercedes Gleitze - Open Water Swimming Pioneer"
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392:McAllister, Ian Hugh (March 2013).
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250:Hilda died in 1982 in Birkenhead.
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182:4×100 m freestyle relay
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398:. Smale Publications.
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204:1920 Summer Olympics
202:who competed at the
196:Hilda Marjorie James
49:Hilda Marjorie James
41:Personal information
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373:on 22 October 2019
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54:National team
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135:Medal record
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336:4 September
228:Cunard Line
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506:Categories
279:References
123:Garston SC
68:1904-04-27
363:ISHOF.org
331:Olympedia
244:Carinthia
222:4 × 100 m
262:See also
110:Swimming
254:Records
200:swimmer
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106:Sport
101:Sport
480:2020
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400:ISBN
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210:Life
120:Club
83:Died
62:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
