Maria Lenk facts for kids
Maria Lenk with then-Brazilian Minister of Sports Agnelo Queiroz.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 15, 1915 São Paulo, Brazil |
| Died | April 16, 2007 (aged 92) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
Maria Emma Hulga Lenk (born January 15, 1915 – died April 16, 2007) was an amazing Brazilian swimmer. She made history as the first South American woman to compete in the Summer Olympic Games. This happened way back in 1932 in Los Angeles.
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Maria Lenk's Swimming Journey
Maria Lenk was born in São Paulo, Brazil. She became the first Brazilian ever to set a world record in swimming. On November 8, 1939, in Rio de Janeiro, she swam the 200m breaststroke in 2 minutes and 56 seconds. This beat the old record by almost a second!
Her record lasted for nearly five years. Another swimmer, Nel van Vliet from the Netherlands, finally broke it in 1946. In the same year, Maria also set a world record for the 400m breaststroke. This event is not part of competitions anymore.
Maria also competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. There, she reached the semifinals of the 200m breaststroke event. Something very special happened at these Olympics. Maria became the first woman in the world to use the Butterfly stroke in an official race!
Back then, the butterfly stroke was seen as a new way to swim the breaststroke. It wasn't a separate stroke yet. Maria had read about this new technique in a German magazine. She started practicing it by herself during her training. In 1936, she was one of only two people ready to use this new technique at the Olympics.
Maria's dream of winning an Olympic medal was put on hold. World War II caused the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games. These would have been her best years for competitive swimming.
She stopped competing professionally in 1942. But Maria never stopped swimming! She focused on "Masters events," which are competitions for older swimmers.
On April 16, 2007, Maria was training at a swimming pool in Clube de Regatas do Flamengo. She suddenly felt unwell and had trouble breathing. She was taken to the hospital but sadly passed away at 92 years old. Even in her 90s, Maria Lenk still swam about 1.5 kilometers every day!
Still Breaking Records! (Even Later in Life)
When Maria Lenk passed away, she still held five "Master World Records." These are world records for swimmers in older age groups. It shows how incredible she was throughout her life!
| Pool | Age Group | Time | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LC | 90-94 | 1:25.91 | 50m breaststroke | December 18, 2005 |
| LC | 90-94 | 3:12.88 | 100m breaststroke | August 15, 2005 |
| LC | 90-94 | 6:57.76 | 200m breaststroke | August 15, 2005 |
| SC | 85-89 | 2:29.90 | 100m breaststroke | April 9, 2000 |
| SC | 90-94 | 6:37.73 | 200m breaststroke | April 21, 2005 |
Honors and Tributes
Maria Lenk received many important awards and honors for her amazing swimming career:
- In 1988, she was added to the FINA International Swimming Hall of Fame. This is a special place for the greatest swimmers in history. In the same year, she won the "Top Ten" award for the best masters swimmers worldwide.
- In 2004, she received the Adhemar Ferreira da Silva Trophy. This award is given by the Brazilian Olympic Committee for lifetime achievements in sports.
- On February 12, 2007, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, César Maia, named a new swimming center after her. It's called the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre. This center hosted swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming events for the 2007 Pan American Games. It also hosted aquatic events during the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
- On April 17, 2007, just one day after she passed away, a big swimming competition was renamed in her honor. The Brazilian Swimming Trophy is now called the Maria Lenk Trophy.
See also
- List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
Images for kids
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Maria Lenk in 1940.
