Inge Sørensen facts for kids
Inge Sørensen in 1936
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Quick facts for kids Personal information |
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| Born | 18 July 1924 Skovshoved, Denmark |
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| Died | 3 March 2011 (age 86) New Jersey, USA |
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| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Inge Sørensen was a famous Danish swimmer. She was born on July 18, 1924, in Skovshoved, Denmark. People sometimes called her Lille henrivende Inge, which means Little Lovely Inge.
Inge became famous at a very young age. When she was just 12 years old, she won a bronze medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. This made her the youngest person ever to win an Olympic medal in an individual sport.
Between 1936 and 1944, Inge won many swimming titles. She earned nine Danish championships and two Nordic championships. She also won one European championship. Inge set 14 Danish records in breaststroke swimming. She even broke world records for 400-meter and 500-meter breaststroke. She was the first Danish woman to swim 200 meters breaststroke in under three minutes.
Her amazing swimming career ended early because of World War II. After the war, she married a Danish engineer. They moved to other countries and eventually lived in the United States. Inge Sørensen passed away on March 9, 2011, in New Jersey.
Contents
Early Life and First Wins
Inge Sørensen was born in 1924. Her father worked as a fishmonger. She started swimming when she was only three years old. She learned to swim in the harbor of Skovshoved, which is north of Copenhagen.
In 1936, at age 11, she won her first Danish championship. This was for the 200-meter breaststroke event. Because of this win, she was chosen to go to the Olympic Games in Berlin that same year.
Olympic Games in Berlin 1936
At the 1936 Olympic Games, Inge was just 12 years old. She won a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke. This made her the youngest person to win an Olympic medal in an individual event.
Her final race on August 11 was a big deal in Denmark. It was the first time a sports event was broadcast live on Danish radio. During the games, she got her famous nickname, Little Lovely Inge. When she returned from Berlin, she and another Danish medal-winner, Ragnhild Hveger, received a huge welcome in Copenhagen.
European Championship Success
Between 1936 and 1938, Inge Sørensen kept getting faster. At the European Championships in London in 1938, she won a gold medal. This was for the 200-meter breaststroke event.
Danish female swimmers did very well at these championships. Denmark was recognized as the best nation for women's swimming that year.
Impact of World War II
The years 1939 to 1941 were the best part of Inge's swimming career. In 1939, she broke the world records for 400-meter and 500-meter breaststroke. In 1941, she became the first Danish woman to swim 200 meters breaststroke in under three minutes.
However, World War II caused the cancellation of the Summer Olympics in 1940 and 1944. The European Championships in 1942 were also cancelled. Because of this, Inge had to end her swimming career in 1944. Unlike some other Danish swimmers, she did not travel to Germany for international competitions during the war.
Later Life and Career
In 1946, Inge Sørensen studied to become a coach and instructor. After that, she taught gymnastics and swimming. In 1948, she married a Danish engineer named Janus Tabur.
She moved with him to South Africa and later to Canada. From 1951, they lived in the United States. Inge Sørensen lived in New Jersey until she passed away in 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Inge Sørensen para niños
