Jenny Kammersgaard

From Openwaterpedia
Jenny Marie Ingeborg Kammersgaard before swimming 42 km from Grenaa to Gniben, Denmark across the Kattegat in just over 29 hours at the age of 19
Memorial rock commemorating the 42 km swim of Jenny Marie Ingeborg Kammersgaard from Grenaa to Gniben, Denmark across the Kattegat in just over 29 hours at the age of 19
Memorial rock commemorating the 42 km swim of Jenny Marie Ingeborg Kammersgaard from Grenaa to Gniben, Denmark across the Kattegat in just over 29 hours at the age of 19, although the stone memorial inaccurately inscribed a 93 km distance
Newspaper article about Jenny Marie Ingeborg Kammersgaard who swam 52 km from Gedser in Denmark to the German coast city Warnemünde in 40 hours 30 minutes between 27-29 July 1938
Antonio Abertondo, Jenny James, Brenda Fisher, Marie Hassen Hammad, Margaret Feather, William Edward Barnie, Jenny Kammersgaard, Damien Piza Beltran, Baptista Pereira, Toufic Bleik, Mohamed El Soussi, Kenneth Wray, Major Jason Zirganos, Arthur Rizzo, Aldo Floravanti, Bob Paysour at the 1954 Billy Butlin International Channel Swim. Photo from the Sam Rockett collection

Jenny Marie Ingeborg Kammersgaard (1918-1997) was a Danish professional marathon swimmer

Open Water Swimming Highlights

  • At the age of 17 in 1935, she swam 18 km from Snaptun to Horsens in Horsens Fjord across inner Danish waters.
  • In 1935, she swam 25 km from Langeland to Korsør, after which she became sponsored by the Danish daily newspaper Politiken.
  • On 7 July 1937, she attempted to swim 42 km across the Kattegat from Gniben to Grenaa, Denmark in the Danish part of the Baltic Sea, the longest any woman had swum at the time. She quit under protest after swimming 20 hours on this attempt on advice from the doctor in the escort boat at the age of 19.
  • On 7 August 1937, she swam 42 km from Grenaa to Gniben, Denmark across the Kattegat in just over 29 hours, after having changed medical advisor, at the age of 19. The swim distance was later reported as 70 km, 75 km, and 93 km (see memorial stone on right that is at Gniben Strand on Sjællands Odde).
    • She was celebrated in Denmark and a song by Aage Stentoft (1914-1990) and Dan Folke (1906-1954) was written in her honor: Jenny – Du er et Eventyr or Jenny - You are an Adventure in English.
    • she received a telegram of congratulation from the German chancellor Adolf Hitler which is translated into English as ”Please accept my warm congratulations for your unique sports performance.” This was the beginning of a charm offensive from the Nazi regime, which saw Kammersgaard and her merits as an example of the perfection of the Aryan race.
    • As a result, she was invited by Adolf Hitler to Germany. She was used in the Nazi propaganda as an example of the ideal Aryan person. After the World War II, she helped refugees getting out of Europe through Sweden.
  • Between 27-29 July 1938, she swam 52 km from Gedser in Denmark to the German coast city Warnemünde in 40 hours 30 minutes.
    • she received congratulations from Hitler and was praised in the Nazi paper Völkischer Beobachter.
    • she was invited to Berlin and met by a big crowd.
  • On 9-11 August 1939, she swam 52 km from Warnemünde, Germany to Gedser, Denmark swimming the same route in the opposite direction in about 34 hours.
    • Until World War II, she was used in the Nazi racial propaganda as an ideal.
  • On 28-29 August 1943, she swam 75 km in Gudenåen, the longest Danish river from Ry to Ans. On the morning of 29 August 1943, a state of emergency was introduced when the German military attacked the Danish Naval Base at the Royal Dockyard (Holmen) in Copenhagen, stopping her from her planned swim to Randers.
  • During summer 1944, she several times secretly swam across the Øresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden.
    • She was questioned by the Gestapo who suspected her of being a courier for the Danish resistance based in Sweden.
    • They issued an arrest order for her which led to her escape by boat to the Swedish island of Hven in Øresund.
    • She was here from 15 August 1944 until the end of the World War II in May 1945.
  • In August 1947 together with her boyfriend helped Baltic refugees in Denmark go to Sweden in a small fishing boat because it was easier to emigrate to North and South America from Sweden. Kammersgaard and her boyfriend were sentenced to 40 days in prison for having assisted persons who were in this country as allied refugees to leave the country without passport control and without a valid travel passport.
  • She participated in the 1950 Daily Mail race across the 33.5 km English Channel finishing in 16 hours 27 minutes swimming breaststroke on 22 August 1950.
  • She participated in the 1951 Daily Mail race across the 33.5 km English Channel finishing in 15 hours 38 minutes on 16 August 1951.
  • She attempted a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France on 22 August 1952, but was pulled after 12 hours 8 minutes.
  • She attempted a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France on 13 September 1952, but was pulled after 21 hours 40 minutes.
  • She competed in the 1954 Billy Butlin International Channel Swim on 21 August 1954, but was pulled after 14 hours 50 minutes.
  • She competed in the 1955 Billy Butlin International Channel Swim, competing against Antonio Abertondo, Damián Píza Beltrán, Jenny James, Brenda Fisher, Marie Hassen Hammad, Margaret Feather, William Edward Barnie, Baptista Pereira, Toufic Bleik, Mohamed El Soussi, Kenneth Wray, Major Jason Zirganos, Arthur Rizzo, Aldo Floravanti, Bob Paysour.
  • In 1959, she swam from Læsø to Frederikshavn.
  • In 1972, she swam 200m in 7 minutes 13 seconds in ice water.
  • In 1976, she swam 400 meter in 12 minutes 54 seconds in ice water.

1950 English Channel Race

The first Daily Mail race across the English Channel from France to England was held on 22 August 1950 and was limited to 20 participants from around the world, sponsored by the London Daily Mail. Hassan Abdel Rehim, a 41-year-old Egyptian won the first race in a then-record of 10 hours 50 minutes over an international field. The results were as follows:

1. Hassan Abdel Rehim (Egypt) - 10 hours 50 minutes
2. Roger Le Morvan (France) 11 hours 2 minutes
3. Mareeh Hassan Hamad (Egypt) 12 hours 10 minutes
4. Sam Rockett (Great Britain) 14 hours 17 minutes
5. Willian Barnie (Scotland) 14 hours 50 minutes
6. Eileen Fenton (Great Britain) 15 hours 31 minutes - First woman
7. Jason Zirganos (Greece) 16 hours 19 minutes
8. Antonio Abertondo (Argentina) 15 hours 25 minutes
9. Jenny Kammersgaard (Denmark) 16 hours 27 minutes

DNF: Emile Soron (France), Eduard Mussche (Belgium), David Frank (USA), Willy van Rijsel (Holland), G.B. Brewster (Great Britain), Panagiotis Kamberous (Greece), Elna Andersen (Denmark), Margareth Ann Feather, Fahmmy Attallah (Egypt).

1951 Daily Mail Race

Egyptian, 34-year-old Mareeh Hassan Hamad, won the 1951 Daily Mail race on 16 August 1951 in 12 hours 12 minutes by 1 minute over Frenchman Roger Le Morvan. The results were as follows:

1. Mareeh Hassan Hamad (Egypt) 12 hours 12 minutes
2. Roger Le Morvan (France) 12 hours 13 minutes
3. Hassan Abdel Rehim (Egypt) 12 hours 25 minutes
4. Saied El Arabi (Egypt) 12 hours 42 minutes
5. Brenda Fisher (England) 12 hours 42 minutes, First woman
6. Godfrey Chapman (England) 12 hours 56 minutes
7. Winnie Roach (Canada) 13 hours 25 minutes
8. Enriqueta Duarte (Argentina) 13 hours 26 minutes
9. Lars Beril Warle (Sweden) 13 hours 28 minutes
10. Raphael Morand (France) 13 hours 45 minutes
11. Jenny James (Wales) 13 hours 55 minutes
12. Jason Zirganos (Greece) 14 hours 1 minute
13. Jan Van Hemsbergen (Netherlands) 14 hours 3 minutes
14. Sally Bauer (Sweden) 14 hours 4 minutes
15. Antonio Abertondo (Argentina) 14 hours 14 minutes
16. William E. (Ned) Barnie (Scotland) 15 hours 1 minute
17. Jenny Kammersgaard (Denmark) 15 hours 38 minutes
18. Daniel Carpio (Peru) 23 hours 5 minutes

External links

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