Aagot Norman

When she competed in the first heat in 100 m freestyle in Stockholm 1912, Aagot Norman was the second Norwegian woman to compete in the Olympic Games. The famed tennis player Molla Bjurstedt-Mallory was the first, playing her first tennis match five days earlier. Aagot Norman competed in the first Norwegian Swimming Championships in 1911, winning both the 100 m freestyle and 50 m backstroke, and was credited with the first official Norwegian record for the 100 m freestyle, 1:49.2. She repeated the double in the 1912 championships, and was selected for the Stockholm Olympics. In her heat she ran into trouble and was unable to finish the race, but later in 1912 she lowered her national record to 1:46.2 in her hometown of Bergen.

Norman competed for Bergen SC in 1911 and 1912, and then made a comeback in 1916, by then as a member of Damenes SK. She came second in the national championship in 1916 and third in 1917 in the 100 m freestyle. In 1918 she returned to her old club, and placed second in that year’s national championship with an all-time personal best of 1:39.9. In 1919 she won her third national title in the 100 freestyle. She ended her swimming career by taking silver at 50 m freestyle in 1922, at age 30.