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Thelma Payne - Swimming |
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Thelma
Payne swam her way
to greatness as an
Olympic medalist in
springboard diving
and as an
advertising model,
one that continues
to be famous across
the nation.
Payne,
later Payne-Sanborn,
was born in 1896 and
matured in her sport
at the Multnomah
Athletic Club under
coach Jack Cody. She
won national diving
titles in 1918-20
and competed in the
3-meter event at the
Antwerp, Belgium,
Olympic Games, the
first after World
War I and also the
first with diving
events. She won the
bronze.
Following
the Games, Payne
served as a model
for an advertisement
being produced for
the Jantzen Swim
Company, and the
image of her turned
into the “Diving
Girl,” which
continues to be
connected with the
company on its
website. Jantzen
credits the Diving
Girl as being the
most widely traveled
lady in
Payne
moved to Los Angeles
in 1926 and coached
swimmers there,
including several
Olympic contenders
and the children of
many Hollywood stars
such as John Wayne.
Payne died
in Los Angeles in
1988. She was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. |
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