Fanny Durack

Life and career

Fanny Durack was a dominant force in women's swimming from 1912 to 1920, holding the official world record for the 100-meter freestyle throughout that period. She also set numerous Australian and state records. The New South Wales Ladies Swimming Association initially barred women from Olympic competition, but the 1912 Stockholm Games marked the first time women's swimming was included. Durack and fellow swimmer Wylie were first denied entry by the association, then allowed only if they covered their own costs.

They raised money locally for themselves and the required chaperones. In the heats of the 100-meter freestyle, Durack broke the world record, then won the final, making her the first Australian woman to claim an Olympic gold in swimming. She remained the only one until Clare Dennis won in 1932, and together they were the only two until 1956. Just before the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, Durack had an emergency appendectomy after appendicitis, followed by typhoid fever and pneumonia, which kept her from competing.

During World War I, a shell struck the statue of Mary and the infant Jesus atop the Basilique Notre-Dame de Brebières in Albert, France, causing it to lean nearly horizontally. Australian soldiers nicknamed the tilted statue "Fanny" after Durack, as it looked like her diving off the starting blocks.

Death and legacy

Fanny Durack passed away in Sydney in 1956 and was laid to rest at Waverley Cemetery alongside her husband, Bernard Martin Gately. Her legacy is honored by the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre in Petersham, Sydney. In 1967, she was posthumously named an Honor Swimmer in the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and the Victorian Honour Roll of Women recognized her in 2001. Sarah Durack Ave at Sydney Olympic Park also bears her name. She was among the first inductees into the Swimming Australia Hall of Fame in 2022.