Claire Guttenstein

Belgian swimmer (1886–1948)

Claire Guttenstein

Claire Guttenstein in 1910 in Paris

Personal information
Born| (1886-09-19)September 19, 1886
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium
Died| 1948 (aged 61–62)
Jette, Belgium
Sport
Sport| Swimming

Claire Guttenstein, née Frick then Guttenstein, then Gutt (September 19, 1886 – 1948)[1] was a Belgian swimmer from the early twentieth century, and was the first Belgian female to represent her country in the Olympic Games[2] and an ex-world record holder in swimming.[3]

Born in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, she met economist Camille Guttenstein while he studied at the Free University of Brussels, they shared the same interest in theatre, and they married in 1906, she went on to have three sons Etienne, Francois and Jean-Max.[4][5]

From October 2, 1910, to September 29, 1911, Guttenstein was the world record holder at 100 meters freestyle, with a time of 1:26.6.[6] During this period, she was known for being victorious in many races with men.[7] During the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, twenty-four-year-old Guttenstein swam in one competition, the 100 meters freestyle, where she finished in fifth place in the third qualifying race and was eliminated from further competition, she was the oldest out of all the swimmers in this event.[8]

In the early 1920s, her husband decided to change their surname to Gutt.[5] In 1940, she convinced her husband to leave Belgium. In London, Camille would play an important role in the Belgian government in exile,[4] Claire herself remained in Brussels where she headed the charity Secours d'hiver.[5]

## See also

[edit]

* World record progression 100 metres freestyle

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Claire Guttenstein". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
2. ^ "Claire Guttenstein". Olympedia. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
3. ^ "First female competitors at the Olympics by country". Olympedia. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
4. ^ a b Dictionnaire des femmes belges: XIXe et XXe siècles by Éliane Gubin; Lannoo Uitgeverij; 2006; p. 261-262
5. ^ a b c Crombois, Jean (2015). Camille Gutt and Postwar International Finance. Routledge. p. 141\. ISBN 978-1317323648.
6. ^ "100 meters freestyle". zwemmenindepolder.nl. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
7. ^ "Mother, may I go out and swim?". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 10, 1911. p. 31. Retrieved April 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Swimming at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Women's 100 metres Freestyle Round One". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* Claire Guttenstein at Olympedia

Records

Preceded by

Martha Gerstung

|  Women's 100 m freestyle
world record holder (long course)
2 October 1910 – 29 September 1911  | Succeeded by

Daisy Curwen