On This Day In History - When Pioneer Norelius Nudged The Pace Of Freestyle
Timeline - The SOS Daily Trawl of World long-course records set this day throughout history. On this day in 1927, Martha Norelius - between 1928 & 2024 the only woman ever to win back-to-back Olympic 400m free titles, set one of her 19 World freestyle records
Martha Maria Norelius was born in Stockholm on January 22, 1909, and the day after she turned 18, this day, January 23, 1927, she set the third of her career nine freestyle records in events that remain official in 2026.
Martha's story, for paid subscribers:
Martha Norelius - The Ledecky Of Her Day & The Last Back-To-Back 400 Free Olympic Champ Before Titmus In 2024
The Swedish-born American Olympic champion, coached by her father, Swedish Olympian Bror Charles, was forced to retired after the 1928 Games because she took part in an exhibition with pro-swimmers. The reward: a 1929 race prize worth almost 200k in today’s money (+husband & daughter)
Craig Lord
