Aileen Riggin
Encyclopedia
Aileen Riggin Soule (May 2, 1906 — October 19, 2002) was an American
swimmer
and diver
.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island
, she learned to swim at the age of 6, in Manila Bay
, and she first started diving in 1919. She competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics
in Antwerp, Belgium
in the women's springboard diving, and managed to win a gold medal
, becoming America's youngest ever gold medallist at that time, later surpassed by Marjorie Gestring
. She was also America's smallest Olympic winner, at only 4 feet 7 inches and 65 pounds. She also competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics
in Paris
, and became the only woman to win medals in both diving and swimming; the silver medal
in springboard diving and the bronze medal
in the 100 meter backstroke.
She moved to Hawaii
in 1957 with her husband, and in 1967 she was inducted in the Swimming Hall of Fame. She also helped found the Hawaii Senior Games Association. As a result of her fund raising and motivational presentations, she received further accolades in the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1988.
Aileen died in Honolulu, Hawaii
of natural causes. At the time of her death she was the last surviving Olympic Champion from the 1920 Olympic Games.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, she learned to swim at the age of 6, in Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
, and she first started diving in 1919. She competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in the women's springboard diving, and managed to win a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, becoming America's youngest ever gold medallist at that time, later surpassed by Marjorie Gestring
Marjorie Gestring
Marjorie Gestring was a competitive springboard diver from the United States who won the gold medal in 3-meter springboard diving at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany at the age of 13 years, 268 days—the youngest person ever to win an Olympic gold medal.With the cancellation of the...
. She was also America's smallest Olympic winner, at only 4 feet 7 inches and 65 pounds. She also competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and became the only woman to win medals in both diving and swimming; the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in springboard diving and the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the 100 meter backstroke.
She moved to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in 1957 with her husband, and in 1967 she was inducted in the Swimming Hall of Fame. She also helped found the Hawaii Senior Games Association. As a result of her fund raising and motivational presentations, she received further accolades in the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1988.
Aileen died in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
of natural causes. At the time of her death she was the last surviving Olympic Champion from the 1920 Olympic Games.