Gardner Williams (swimmer)

Gardner Boyd Williams (April 16, 1877 – December 14, 1933) was an American freestyle swimmer. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.[1]

Gardner Williams
Personal information
Born(1877-04-16)April 16, 1877
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, United States
DiedDecember 14, 1933(1933-12-14) (aged 56)
Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States
Sport
SportSwimming

Williams competed in the 100 metre freestyle event. His time and place are unknown, though he did not finish in the top two. He also entered the 1200 metre freestyle competition, not placing in the top three of that event.

1896 Olympics freezing quote

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One of his teammates related that in the swimming competition for the 1896 Olympics, he jumped in the water after spending all of his money on training and travel, only to quickly exit the water and exclaim, "I'm freezing."[2][3] During the 1896 Olympics, the breezy weather had lowered the temperature to an estimated 13 °C (55 °F), leading the athlete to withdraw from the race.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Gardner Williams". Olympedia. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  2. ^ .Schaap, Dick (1967). An Illustrated History of the Olympics. Knopf. p. 44. Retrieved November 6, 2020 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Kelly Gonsalves (1999), First to the Wall: 100 Years of Olympic Swimming page 3
  4. ^ Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1996. ISBN 9780313284779.
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