100th Anniversary of Women's Participation in the Olympics

The 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney mark the 100th anniversary of women’s participation in the Olympics. To celebrate this historic occasion we have pulled some great moments from the annals of Canadian sport, each highlighting the achievements of women at the Olympic Games.

The year 1928 was the first year that women participated in the track and field events at the Olympic Games, and it was the first time that Canada sent a team including women. Incredibly, Amsterdam stands out as one of the best years ever for Candian women at the Olympics. The women who represented our country became household names in the 1920’s: Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld, Ethel Smith and Ethel Catherwood.

Bobbie Rosenfeld’s great performances started a little bit earlier than the Olympics. In 1924 Rosenfeld joined the Patterson Athletic Club and started competing in track and field events. That year, with Rosenfeld as their only entry, the club won the Ontario Ladies Track and Field points title. She won first place in the discuss, the 220 yard race, the 120 yard low hurdles and the long jump. She earned second in the 100 yard race and in the javelin. If people didn’t know it before, they knew then; she was an outstanding athlete. In 1928, Rosenfeld set three national records that held up until 1950: long jump (18 feet, 3 inches), the standing broad jump (8 feet, 1 inch) and the discuss. At the Amsterdam Olympic Games, the 100 metre final was exciting for Canada since three athletes were competing for gold: Rosenfeld, Ethel Smith and Myrtle Cook. Cook ended up being disqualified for two false starts but Rosenfeld and Smith won silver and bronze respectively. Later on, the 4x100 metre relay team of Rosenfeld, Smith, Cook and Jane Bell set a world record and earned gold.

Aside from her track and field accomplishments Rosenfeld was also an avid baseball and hockey player. In the 1931-1932 hockey season she was named outstanding player in Ontario women’s hockey. In 1949 Bobbie Rosenfeld was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame along with Myrtle Cook, Jane Bell, Ethel Smith and Ethel Catherwood. That same year she was also named Canadian woman athlete of the half century.

Also part of the 1928 Canadian explosion, was Ethel Smith. An excellent basketball and baseball player, Smith decided to try track and field and, simply by joining a local team began her illustrious career. After her debut with her local track and field team Smith joined Bobbie Rosenfeld and Jane Bell at the Canadian Ladies Athletic Club. They were all selected to the Olympic team. Wanting to make the most of their training opportunity, Smith and her teammates practiced their baton passing on the boat on their way to Amsterdam. With all the efforts they were putting in their training it’s no wonder they broke the record in the relay. Two thousand people were waiting at the train station when Smith and her teammates returned from their success at the Olympics.

Another Canadian to leave an impression during the 1928 Olympics was Ethel Catherwood, known as the Saskatoon Lilly. In 1926, Catherwood entered a competition in Saskatoon and with little training equaled the Canadian record for high jump (1.511metres). The next week she broke the world record for high jump. In 1928 she set a new world record (1.60m) that would not be matched by another Canadian until 1954. However, her greatest achievement was a gold medal at the Amsterdam Olympic Games. Soon after the Games she left the country for the United States and there is no record if she ever competed again.

In 1968 the eyes of all Canadians were on "Mighty Mouse" Elaine Tanner. At 15 years old Tanner held the world record in the 220 yard individual medley with a time of 2:33.3. That same year at the Commonwealth Games she returned with 4 gold medals, 3 silver, 2 world records and 2 games records. A year later, in 1967, the Pan Am Games were held in Winnipeg. In front of the home crowd Tanner broke the world record in the 110 yard backstroke and the 440 yard individual medley on top of winning 2 gold medals and 3 silver medals. By the time the Mexico Olympic Games arrived in 1968, Canada was expecting nothing less than gold from Tanner. On her way to the final in the backstroke, she broke the world record twice confirming to everyone how close Canada was to getting a much anticipated gold in swimming. In the final she broke the record again with a time of 1:06.7 but fell second to Kaye Hall of the United States who had an incredible race and finished with a time of 1:06.2. Hall had never beaten Tanner before. Tanner came home without a gold medal but with a silver and a bronze medal which she earned in the 4x100m relay. Canada would have to wait a while longer for their gold medal in swimming.

To everyone amazement and bewilderment, Brill did not clear the 1.75m standard in the qualifying round, a height she had been doing easily since she was 16 years old. "She’s jumping with twenty-three million Canadians on her back" said an unnamed Canadian coach. Everyone thought that would be the end of Debbie Brill but she came back in full force; training, competing and winning. In 1977 she was named outstanding athlete of the year.

The commitment, dedication and perseverance of all these women has lead them to achieve their goals and to be great role models for the girls and women that have followed them. It has also engraved their names in Canadian sports’ history forever.  

Back to Canadian History of Women in Sport Index

Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity

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