GRETA ANDERSEN TO TRY FOR RECORD SWIM TODAY

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28984, 27 August 1959, Page 2

GRETA ANDERSEN TO TRY FOR RECORD SWIM TODAY

IBv

SUSAN VAUGHAN)

LONDON. Thirty-eight strong, strapping men—many of them long-distance swimming champions—have entered for this month’s international cross-channel swimming race from Cap Gris Nez to Dover. Yet the favourite for this gruelling 21-mile marathon is a woman. She is Greta Marie Andersen, a Danish-born American, aged 31, whom I rate as the most astonishing sportswoman of our time and the most versatile woman swimmer ever. Fair-haired Greta has been breaking records since she was a girl. For seven years she held the world’s record for 100 yards free-style. She won a gold medal and a silver medal at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. She holds 45 trophies. 150 medals, and world records over many distances. Beaten the Men But even her world and Olympic record performances have been eclipsed in the last two years by her triumphs in the English Channel. For she has beaten all the man as well as all the women in the FranceEngland swimming race. And remember that medical experts have called channel swimming the greatest feat of endurance in the world of sport. Swimmers employ about 80 per cent, of their muscles and burn up 1000 calories an hour. Hazards include fog. stinging starfish and jellyfish, passing ships, cramp, seasickness and sleepiness. Greta Andersen conquered this Everest of the swimming world at her second attempt—in 1957 She beat her 19 opponents in 13hr 53min and only one other swimmer—a man—completed the course.

Her prize was the 1000 guineas Challenge Trophy—-which she was too weak to pick up—and £5OO. If she had not lost her pilot boat for part of the crossing she might well have beaten the women’s record of 12hr 42min.

Last year she improved on that performance in every way. She beat 29 other competitors and the second swimmer finished four hours later. Her time was lOhr 59inin which broke the women’s record by 103 minutes.

It was the most sensational channel swim by a woman since an American Gertrude Ederle. aged 18, set the fashion by swim-

ming from France to England in 14hr 34min in August, 1926. Yet Miss Andersen was not satisfied. She staggered ashore at Dead Man’s Gulch, near Dover, fell into her husband’s arms, and said: “Sorry, darling. I didn’t

beat the record.” Miss Andersen had failed by only 10 minutes to beat the men’s record of lOhr 50min set up by the Egyptian Hassam Abd-el Rehim In 1950. Miss Andersen aims to break that all-comers’ record in the race on August 27. She has two more fantastic targets: to become the first person to win the channel race three years in succession and to become the first to swim the channel both ways without leaving the water. Toughest Target

The two-way crossing, which has defied the greatest of swimmers, is the toughest target. But it is not an impossible one. Since her last Channel swim Miss Andersen has become the first swimmer to complete the 44-mile round journey between Santa Catalina Island and the mainland of California in 26hr 53min. But then she had a rest of half an hour before returning to the water for the second stage. She has been training for her greatest channel bid under the guidance of her husband. John Sonnichsen, a swimming coach in his twenties. They met when they were both swimming instructors at a pool in the United States and married two years ago. Since then Miss Andersen has become a United States citizen.

Each day in training, Miss Andersen swims at least four miles, eating a pound of steak and getting 10 hours’ sleep. During a channel swim she drinks orange juice, and. to spur her on. her husband sometimes plays rock ’n’ roll music.