About this episode

The episode discusses the story of Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel, and her efforts to defend her legacy against controversy.

Vindication Swim (2024) tells the story of Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel in 1927. This major accomplishment, however, was soon called into question when another swimmer made a dubious claim to the same feat. To defend her integrity and her legacy, Gleitze (Kirsten Callaghan) attempted what she called her “vindication swim” — a second crossing of the English Channel intended to silence her critics and restore her reputation. Vindication Swim is about mor...

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Hafetz

Guest: Elliot Hasler

Topics covered

• swimming
• English Channel
• women's history
• legacy
• sports controversy

Keywords

• Mercedes Gleitze
• English Channel
• vindication swim
• Kirsten Callaghan
• swimming history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Vindication Swim

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