Mina Wylie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olympic medal record
Women’s Swimming
Silver	1912 Stockholm	100 m Freestyle

Mina Wylie at Wylie's Baths, in Coogee, Sydney

Wilhelmina (Mina) Wylie (1891–1984) was one of Australia's first two female Olympic swimming representatives, along with friend Fanny Durack. She grew up in South Coogee, Sydney, where her father Henry Wylie built Wylie's Baths in 1907. The Baths are the oldest surviving communal sea baths in Australia.

Henry Wylie was a champion long distance and underwater swimmer.

After competing against each other in the Australian and New South Wales Swimming Championships in the 1910/11 swimming season, Wylie and Durack persuaded officials to let them attend the 1912 Summer Olympics where women's swimming events were being held for the first time. Durack won a gold medal and Wylie a silver medal. Twenty-seven women contested the 100 metre event including six from Great Britain and four from Germany. Swimsuits generally reached down to the mid-thigh although some were sleeveless. The pool was built in an inlet of Stockholm Harbour and competitors swam without lane ropes. Durack's time in the 100m final was 1:22.2 and Wylie's was 1:25.4.

She competed in New South Wales and Australian championships from 1906 to 1934, winning 115 titles including every Australian and New South Wales championship event in 1911, 1922 and 1924 in freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke.

Mina Wylie was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1975.