第一位横渡英吉利海峡的女性

　　Gertrude Ederle

　　1924年奥运会举行期间，美国奥委会官员怕美国女选手在巴黎受到不良影响，把所有女选手都限制在居住地内活动，不准他们到市区去游玩，不然就是要求他们增加练习的时间，往往一天长达5、6个小时。
　　女选手们无处可去，练习时间增加的结果，是成绩大幅提升，尤其是女子游泳方面。女子100米、400米自由泳美国选手包办前3名。
　　1926年8月6日清晨7点钟，一位来自美国的女子，从法国下海，向第一位横渡英吉利海峡的女性历史纪录挑战，她就是2年前在巴黎奥运会夺得女子100米、400米自由泳两面铜牌及4×100米自由泳金牌的Gertrude Ederle，一位纽约肉贩的21岁女儿。
　　当天伦敦每日新闻上出现的标题和内文，以不屑的口吻指出，就算女人能够完成横渡英吉利海峡的举动，仍无法否认女性在生理、速度和耐力，还是天生永远的弱者。面对这种男性沙文主义，Gertrude Ederle未予以重视，她以实际的行动来打破这种女人是弱者的传统观念，以14小时31分钟完成了横渡英吉利海峡的壮举。更令人欣慰的是，她完成的时间，比起过去所有男性成功的例子，在时间上快了2个多小时，消息传开，令许多女权主义者在新闻媒体上大大修理那些男性沙文主义者。
　　回到美国之后，她受到比奥运会夺金更热烈的欢迎，一场绕街游行庆祝约有200万人参加。接下来的日子，她忙着上节目接受访问，一个接着一个。但她横渡海峡的后遗症也逐渐出现。

　　一九五一年,世界著名游泳选手查德威克(Florence Chadwick)成功地只身横渡英吉利海峡,创下了一项非凡的纪录。一九五三年,她决定再次挑战人类极限,创造一项新的纪录——从卡德林那岛游向加利福尼亚。

　　When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours.

　　Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.

　　On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath, and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on, hour after hour, while millions watched on national television.

　　Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn't much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had...until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.

　　Still thawing her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, "Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it." It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.

　　Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing the men's record by two hours!

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