Margaret Sweeney (swimmer)

Margaret Lister
Personal information
Birth nameMargaret Isobel Sweeney
Born1929 or 1930 (age 94–95)[1]
Spouse
Keith Richard Lister
​
​
(m. 1956)​
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportSwimming
Achievements and titles
National finals100 yards breaststroke champion (1950)
220 yards breaststroke champion (1949)

Margaret Isobel Lister (née Sweeney, born 1929 or 1930) is a former New Zealand swimmer who represented her country at the 1950 Empire Games in Auckland. She later took up long-distance swimming, and in 1955 became the first person to swim the length of Lake Taupō.

Biography

Representing Auckland, Sweeney won two titles at the New Zealand national swimming championships: the 220 yards breaststroke in 1949; and the 100 yards breaststroke the following year.[2] She went on to represent New Zealand at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, finishing sixth in the 220 yards breaststroke with a time of 3:28.0.[3] She was also a member of the New Zealand team in the 330 yards medley relay, with Jean Stewart and Winifred Griffin, that was disqualified in the final.[4]

Sweeney then turned to long-distance swimming, and worked as a professional swimming coach at the Tepid Baths in Auckland.[5] On 30 January 1955, she became the first person to swim the length of Lake Taupo, making the 40-kilometre (25 mi) crossing from south to north in 13 hours 39 minutes.[5][6] The feat would not be repeated until 1977 when local man Patrick Cox completed the marathon swim.[7]

Sweeney made four attempts to swim the English Channel, in 1954, 1955 and 1968, but was unsuccessful on each occasion.[8] In 1955, she was within 800 yards (730 m) of reaching the English coast when the tide changed and pushed her back; she finally abandoned the attempt after 12 hours in the water.[8]

In 1956, Sweeney married Keith Richard Lister in Essex, England.[9] The couple went on to have three sons, and ran a supermarket at Forrest Hill on Auckland's North Shore.[8]

References

  1. ^ "N.Z. girl prepares for long swim". The Argus. 3 August 1955. p. 25. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  2. ^ McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Swimming – national championships". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Wellington: Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Results for the 1950 British Empire Games – Swimming – 220 yard breaststroke – women". Commonwealth Games Federation. 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Results for the 1950 British Empire Games – Swimming – 330 yard medley relay – women". Commonwealth Games Federation. 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Girl who conquered Taupo may try Channel". Auckland Star. 31 January 1955. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Girl swims length of Taupo". New Zealand Herald. 31 January 1955. p. 8.
  7. ^ Singh, Anendra (14 February 2019). "Swimming: Hawke's Bay orchard manager Steve McKain conquers 40.2 Lake Taupo Marathon". Hawke's Bay Today. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Blomfield, Valerie (7 August 1974). "Same trials 20 yrs ago". Auckland Star. p. 14.
  9. ^ "Marriages Dec 1956 – Essex S.W." FreeBMD. Retrieved 19 September 2017.