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Helen Johns (swimmer)

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Helen Johns
Personal information
Full nameHelen Eileen Johns
National team United States
Born(1914-09-25)September 25, 1914
East Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 23, 2014(2014-07-23) (aged 99)
Sumter, South Carolina, U.S.
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubBrookline Women's Swimming Association
Boston Swimming Association
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1932 Los Angeles 4×100 m freestyle

Helen Eileen Johns (September 25, 1914 – July 23, 2014), later known by her married name Helen Carroll, was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.

Career

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Johns was born in East Boston, but grew up in nearby Medford, Massachusetts.[1] At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Johns represented the United States at the age of 17.[2] She won a gold medal in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay with U.S. teammates Eleanor Garatti, Helene Madison and Josephine McKim.[2][3] The American women set a new world record in the event with a time of 4:38.0, beating teams from the Netherlands (silver) and Great Britain (bronze) by nine and fourteen seconds, respectively.[2][4]

In 1936 Johns graduated from Pembroke College, the former women's college of Brown University, with a bachelor's degree in psychology and economics.[5] She later received her master's degree in special education.[6]

Johns married Eugene Carroll in 1937 and moved to Swansea, Massachusetts wherein they had two daughters, Deborah and Judith. In 1957 they moved to Sumter, South Carolina.[7]

In addition to coaching swimming, she became a special education teacher in the Sumter School District in Sumter, South Carolina in 1957 and retired from that position in 1980.[8] In 1996 Johns carried the Olympic torch for a stretch in the Olympic torch relay for the 1996 Summer Olympics. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame for her achievements as an Olympic swimmer in 2004.[9]

Johns died on July 23, 2014, at the age of 99, in Sumter.[10][11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "At 97, Olympic female gold medalist savors role as pioneer". Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Helen Johns Archived 2012-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  3. ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, United States Swimming at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games Archived 2012-11-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  4. ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games, Women's 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay Archived 2012-10-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  5. ^ "Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Inductee Details: Helen Johns (Carroll)". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  6. ^ Pave, Marvin (November–December 2014). "A Pioneer in Women's Sport". Brown Alumni Magazine. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Downtown Sumter Business News May 2007 (Helen Carroll listed as member of the Main Street Society) Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Medford's Last Living Olympic Gold Medal Winner Passes Away". Inside Medford. August 16, 2014. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  9. ^ "Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame: Helen Johns (Carroll), Inducted 2004". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Old, Jason (July 24, 2014). "1932 Olympic gold medalist dies in Sumter". WIS. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  11. ^ Marvin Pave, "Helen Johns Carroll, 99; was gold medalist in 1932 Olympics," Boston Globe (August 15, 2014). Retrieved August 18, 2014.
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