Hjördis Töpel Explained

Birth Date:4 January 1904
Birth Place:Gothenburg, Sweden
Death Date:17 March 1987 (aged 83)
Death Place:Gothenburg, Sweden
Sport:Swimming, diving
Club:SK Najaden, Göteborg
Show-Medals:yes

Hjördis Viktoria Töpel (4 January 1904 – 17 March 1987) was a Swedish[1] freestyle swimmer and diver who competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.[2]

She competed in both diving and swimming at the 1924 Olympics. In swimming she entered the 200m breaststroke, the 100m and 400m freestyle events and the 4×100m freestyle relay. Her team won bronze in the relay and she finished seventh in the breaststroke. She also won an individual bronze medal in the Women's 10m Platform event.[3] [4]

Remarkably, there were two female athletes at the 1924 Olympics who won medals in both diving and swimming. Hjördis Töpel and American Aileen Riggin both won diving and swimming medals, making them the first two female athletes to win medals in two different sports at a single Olympic games.

In 1928 Töpel only competed in diving, alongside her younger sister Ingegärd.[3] [4] [5] They both took part in the Women's 10m Platform event but neither of them advanced into the final round.

Notes and References

  1. Book: John Nauright, Charles Parrish. Sports around the world: history, culture, and practice. 2012. ABC-CLIO. Santa Barbara, Calif.. 9781598843002. 88.
  2. Web site: Hjördis Töpel . Olympedia . 13 October 2021.
  3. http://www.olympiandatabase.com/index.php?id=38479&L=1 Hjördis Töpel at the Olympics
  4. Web site: Hjördis Töpel . https://web.archive.org/web/20120128132436/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/to/hjordis-topel-1.html . dead . 2012-01-28 . Sports Reference .
  5. http://sok.se/idrottare/idrottare/h/hjordis-topel.html Hjördis Töpel