Dennis, Clare (1916 - 1971)

Clare Dennis dominated breast-stroke swimming from 1931 to 1935, becoming the first Australian woman to win a gold medal in the British Empire Games in 1934. An outstanding junior swimmer, she broke the world record at 15 years of age in the 220 yards breast-stroke, ensuring her selection in the team to represent Australia at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She was the youngest member of the team, but still came home with the gold medal in her event - the first female Olympic Champion since Fanny Durack in 1912 and the last Australian swimmer, male or female to win Olympic Gold until 1956. She was the youngest Australian to win Olympic Gold until Shane Gould in 1972. She was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.

• Dennis, Clara (legal name)
• Golding, Clara (married name)

Events

1932	Gold Medalist at the Los Angeles Olympic Games - Swimming - 200m backstroke
1934	Gold Medalist at London Empire Games - Swimming - 200y Breaststroke

Australian Women Exhibitions

• She's Game: Women Making Australian Sporting History, Australian Women's Archives Project, 2007, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/sg/sport-home.html. [ Details... ]

See also

• Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, 2006, http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au. [ Details... ]
• Vamplew, Vray; Moore, Katharine; O'Hara, John; Cashman, Richard; Jobling, Ian (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Australian Sport, Revised Second edn, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1997. [ Details... ]