Marie Louise Corridon Mortell (February 5, 1930 – May 26, 2010) was an American competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

and 1948 Olympic champion. Corridon was born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, but moved with her family to

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

, when her father started his medical practice there. She attended Sacred Heart Academy in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

. Marie learned to swim at the age of 5 at the Longshore Club in Westport, Connecticut and demonstrated natural ability. She was the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) national champion in the 100-yard freestyle in 1948, and set a new U.S. record in the event. She won the 100-yard freestyle national championship again in 1950. Marie Corridon Mortell
, ''Westport News'' (May 28, 2010); retrieved October 4, 2012.

1948 Olympics

Corridon competed at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

in London, where she won a gold medal as the lead-off swimmer of the first-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Corridon, together with her teammates

Thelma Kalama Thelma H. Kalama (March 24, 1931 – May 17, 1999), later known by her married name Thelma Aiu after 1960, was an American competition swimmer, 1948 London Olympic gold medalist in the freestyle relay, and a marine veteran.

, Brenda Helser and

Ann Curtis Ann Elizabeth Curtis (March 6, 1926 – June 26, 2012), known after 1949 by her married name Ann Elisabeth Cuneo was an American competition swimmer and two-time Olympic champion at the 1948 London games. She would later have a career as a swi ...

, set a new Olympic record in the event final of 4:29.2. With just 15 metres to go Ann Curtis, the last American swimmer on the relay, overtook the third place Dutch swimmer and with the crowd cheering loudly edged closer to Fritze Carstensen, the second place swimmer for the Danish team. In a very close heat, in an exhausting final sprint, Curtis touched the wall first passing the second place Danish swimmer, and breaking the Olympic record. Curtis' 100-meter time of 1:04.4, was the fastest ever recorded, but it could not be made official as only the first swimmer's time in a relay is ever made an official time. The American team finished only .4 seconds ahead of the second place silver medal team from Denmark. Individually, she also competed in the women's 100-meter freestyle, but did not advance to the final.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes
Marie Corridon
Retrieved October 4, 2012. After the Olympics, Corridon attended

Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As of 2020, enrollment consisted of 1,571 undergraduate students with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. Columbia University Masters ...

. She later worked for

Avery Brundage Avery Brundage (; September 28, 1887 – May 8, 1975) was the fifth president of the International Olympic Committee, serving from 1952 to 1972, the only American and first non-European to attain that position. Brundage is remembered as a z ...

, the long-time head of the

United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...

, and later served as an executive secretary at the Walter Reed Army Hospital. After returning to Norwalk, she worked in public relations at the Norwalk Hospital.

Personal life

Corridon married William Edward Mortell, and had a family of seven children. She died in

, on May 26, 2010, at the age of 80.Tom Renner,
Norwalk Mourns Olympian's Death
" ''Norwalk Daily Voice'' (May 28, 2010). Retrieved October 4, 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Corridon, Marie 1930 births 2010 deaths American female freestyle swimmers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Norwalk, Connecticut Swimmers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics 20th-century American sportswomen

1948 Olympics

Personal life

See also

References

External links