Marilyn Bell

In September 1954, the Canadian National Exhibition sponsored a marathon swim across Lake Ontario, offering a cash prize and heavily promoting American swimmer Florence Chadwick as the star attraction. Sixteen-year-old Toronto swimmer Marilyn Bell, who had not been officially invited to the sponsored event, decided to swim the crossing anyway, entering the lake alongside Chadwick without official sanction or prize eligibility.

Finishing what the star didn't

Chadwick withdrew partway through the swim, but Bell continued for over 20 hours through cold water, exhaustion and lake traffic, eventually completing the roughly 51-kilometre crossing and becoming the first person ever to swim across Lake Ontario. Her achievement, accomplished without the sponsorship or prize money the CNE had promised to whoever the "official" race winner would be, captured national attention and made the teenager an instant Canadian sports hero, with the CNE ultimately awarding her a cash prize and car despite her unofficial entry.

Sources

• The Canadian Encyclopedia — Marilyn Bell
• Wikipedia — Marilyn Bell

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