Phyllis Delma Dewar (March 5, 1916 – April 8, 1961), also known by her married name Phyllis Lowery, was a Canadian 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

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

specialist. At the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics ( German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi- ...

in Berlin, Germany, she was a member of the Canadian relay team that finished fourth in the women's 4×100-metre freestyle relay. In the 100-metre freestyle, she advanced to the semifinals of the event before being eliminated. In the 1934

British Empire Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

in London, she won gold medals in the 100-yard and 440-yard freestyle events and in two relays. Four years later, at the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney, she won her fifth gold medal in the 4×110-yard freestyle relay.

Early life

Dewar was born on March 5, 1916, in

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

. She began swimming during her early childhood.

Career

In the mid-1930s, Dewar was the Canadian freestyle record holder in numerous freestyle events including the 100-yard and one-mile races. In international competitions, she won four gold medals at the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

and her final gold at the

1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 yea ...

. She also competed at the

but did not medal. After ending her swimming career in the late 1930s, Dewar served in the

Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service The Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS or "Wrens") was an element of the Royal Canadian Navy that was active during the Second World War and post-war as part of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve until unification in 1968.http://esask.ureg ...

Awards and honors

In 1934, Dewar was the recipient of both the

Bobbie Rosenfeld Award The Bobbie Rosenfeld Award is an annual award given to Canada's female athlete of the year. The sports writers of the Canadian Press (CP) first conducted a poll to determine the nation's top female in 1932, naming track star Hilda Strike the winner ...

and

Velma Springstead Trophy The Velma Springstead Trophy is an award presented annually to Canada's outstanding female athlete. It is named in honour of track athlete Velma Springstead whose career ended prematurely when she died from pneumonia in 1927 when only 20 years old. ...

as the best Canadian female athlete of that year. Dewar was posthumously inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1967. Other posthumous inductions include

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

in 1971 and the

Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is an honour roll of the top Canadian Olympic athletes, teams, coaches, and builders (officials, administrators, and volunteers). It was established in 1949. Selections are made by a committee appointed by the Canad ...

in 1972.

Death

Dewar died on April 8, 1961, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Personal life

Dewar was married with four children.

References

* * with picture {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewar, Phyllis 1916 births 1961 deaths Canadian female freestyle swimmers Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada Olympic swimmers of Canada Sportspeople from Moose Jaw Swimmers at the 1934 British Empire Games Swimmers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1938 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games