Winnie Leuszler

Winnifred "Winnie" Frances Roach-Leuszler, O.Ont (February 3, 1926 – May 1, 2004) was a Canadian long distance swimmer. A long distance swimmer of international acclaim, she started swimming when she as a child and later became the first Canadian to swim the English Channel.

Early life

Leuszler was born February 3, 1926 in Port Credit, Ontario.[1] She started swimming when she was three years old. At nine years of age, she won her first medal as a competitive swimmer. She would go on to win local, provincial, national, North American, and international medals throughout her career.[1]

In 1944, she was labeled Canada's All Round Athlete of the year.[2] That same year she joined the Women's Corp and was dominating Army, Navy and Air Forces sporting championships. In 1946, while three months pregnant, she won the 5 mile World Swimming Championship and while four months pregnant in 1949 she was second in the same event.[3]

On August 16, 1951, she became the first Canadian to swim the English Channel.[4] She came home to a ticker tape parade in Toronto.[1]

In 1954, she entered the swim across Lake Ontario with Marilyn Bell but was forced from the event due to problems with her guide boat.[5] In the 1950s, she was lured into baseball and in 1957 she was Canada's first female baseball umpire.[1]

In 1996, she was inducted into the Canadian Forces Sports Hall of Fame. In 1999 she received the Order of Ontario and was inducted into the Ontario Swimming Hall of Fame.[6]

She died in Surrey, British Columbia on May 1, 2004.[6]

References
  1. "Winnie Roach-Leuszler | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  2. "Winnie Roach-Leuszler – VALOUR CANADA". Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  3. Fame (CSHOF), Canada's Sports Hall of (2017-02-01). "Sport Veterans Winnie Roach-Leuszler". canadasports150.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  4. "North York Woman First Canadian to Swim English Channel". North York Historical Society. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  5. Project), Jeff Z. Klein (Niagara Frontier Heritage. "Heritage Moments: Marilyn Bell, the teenager who conquered eels, exhaustion and Lake Ontario". news.wbfo.org. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  6. "First Canadian to swim English Channel dies". CBC News. May 1, 2004.
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