Mariechen Wehselau

Mariechen Wehselau, whose first name means "Little Marie" in German, was born of German parents who had moved to Hawai'i, and she was the first great woman swimmer from the island paradise. At the 1924 Olympics she set a world record of 1:12.2 in winning the first heat of the 100m freestyle, but could not quite repeat that form in the final and lost to Ethel Lackie, who won by a touch in 1:12.4. She set a second world record later in the Games as a member of the winning relay team. After the Games she returned to Hawai'i, where she became a swim coach for several years.