Wilhelmina von Bremen

Wilhelmina von Bremen
Personal information
BornAugust 13, 1909
San Francisco, California, United States
DiedJuly 16, 1976 (aged 66)
Alameda, California, United States
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
SportSprint running
ClubWestern Women's Club, San Francisco
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1932 Los Angeles 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1932 Los Angeles 100 meters

Wilhelmina "Billie" von Bremen (August 13, 1909 – July 16, 1976) was an American sprint runner. At the 1932 Summer Olympics, she won an individual bronze medal in the 100 meters and a gold medal in the 4×100 meters relay.[1]

Life

Von Bremen graduated from Western College for Women in Ohio and ran for the Western Women's Club in her home city. She came second in the AAU meet in 1932 to Ethel Harrington. However Harrington was not meant to run and therefore von Bremen was declared the winner.[1]

In the first heat Marie Dollinger broke the 100 metres Olympic record with a time of 12.2 seconds.[2] This time was immediately improved by Stanisława Walasiewicz, who also set a world record.[3] Von Bremen ran 12.0 seconds in the final to take the bronze.[1]

She soon joined with teammates Mary Carew, Evelyn Furtsch and Annette Rogers to win the gold medal in the 4×100 meters in a world record time.

References