A WAC Olympic history | Meet the Athlete | Instructor Insights
14 WAC Magazine | wac.net
WAC Olympic history
Meet the Athlete
Instructor Insights
Living Fit
One hundred years aer last hosting
the Olympics, Paris once again welcomes
the world's best athletes. As the Summer
Games take place July 26–August 11,
we look back on the Washington Athletic
Club's history with the most important
two weeks in sports.
WAC
ARTIFACT
e starting gun at the 1932 Olympics
signaled the beginning of three races
that culminated in gold medals for
Washington Athletic Club swimmer
Helene Madison, just 19 at the time.
Included in the WAC archive are the
shell casings used to begin each of
those races—the 100-meter freestyle,
400-meter freestyle, and 4-by-100–meter
relay. Also pictured while on loan to the
WAC is one of Madison's gold medals
from those Los Angeles Games. Helene
returned to Seattle a hero, but aer a
short-lived acting career she was ruled
a "professional" and prohibited from
future Olympic competition.
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As the Paris Games approach,
we look back on the WAC's
Olympic heritage
A golden legacy
