Irene STEER

At the 1912 Stockholm Games, a collision in the heats of the 100 metres freestyle robbed Irene Steer of the chance of individual Olympic honors but she later won a gold medal in the relay, swimming the anchor leg for the British team which set a new world record. Steer was unbeaten in the 100 yards freestyle at the Welsh Championships, winning the title for seven successive years from 1907 before retiring at the end of the 1913 season. She represented Cardiff Ladies Premier SC and won her only ASA title in 1913 when she equaled the world record in the 100 yards freestyle. After she retired, Steer married William Nicholson, a director and chairman of Cardiff City FC. Steer was the first Welsh woman to win an Olympic gold medal, and it would be 96 years before this was repeated, by Nicole Cooke in the cycling road race at Beijing in 2008, on Steer's birthday - 10 August.