Catherine GIBSON

Cathie Gibson was amongst the foremost of a generation of Scottish swimmers who saw success in the immediate post-war years and into the fifties. She first saw major success at the 1st post-war European championships in 1947 in Monte Carlo where, as a 16 year old, she collected silver medals in both 100m backstroke and 400m freestyle and a bronze as part of Great Britain’s 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay team. This marked her out as a possible medal contender for the 1948 Olympic Games.

Competing in her three European Championship medal events she performed below expectations to miss the final in the 100m backstroke and was a frustrating 4th in the relay before sneaking into the 400m freestyle only as 7th fastest of the 8 qualifiers. For three quarters of the race it appeared she would leave the London Games without a medal but in the last 100m she surged through the field to win the bronze medal.

Gibson’s career did not end after the London Games but, although her swimming career continued into the 1950s, this was to be her only Olympic appearance and the Olympic medal was to be her last in major championships. During her career she broke 29 British records, Gibson retired after her marriage and ran a hotel in Scotland for many years afterwards.