| Vera Neave | |
| Nationality: | British |
| Sport: | swimming |
| Club: | Jersey Swimming Club Enfield Ladies Club |
| Coach: | David Billington her father |
| Birth Date: | 1893 |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Vera Neave (born 1893) was a British swimmer in the early 20th century. She held multiple world records.[1]
Neave was a member of the Jersey Swimming Club, where she was coached by David Billington. Later, she joined the Enfield Ladies Club in London, where her father served as her coach.
On August 5, 1911, she became the first woman to win an open water swimming race in London. Out of 18 swimmers, 12 completed the race. Neave finished the 15-mile course in 4 hours, 9 minutes, and 39.6 seconds.
On 18 August 1912 she broke the 1 mile world record. with a time of 31: 41.8. The next year she broke the 2 miles world record with a time of 1 hour 1:15.4 minutes in a swimming pool in Liverpool. In 1915 she finished at the fifth of the twenty participants. In 1918 she holds two more world records. She is the 440 yards record holder with a time of 6:57.8 and the 550 yards world record holder with a time of 7:52. In August 1921 she again beat the 1 mile world record, now with a time of 21:41.8.[2]