Ethel Catherwood
Encyclopedia
Competitor for 
Canada
Ethel Mary Catherwood (April 28, 1908 – September 26, 1987) was a Canadian
athlete.
Born in Hannah, North Dakota
, USA, Ethel Catherwood was raised and educated in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, she excelled at athletics, including baseball
, basketball
and track and field. In 1926 she equaled a Canadian record for high jump
at the Saskatoon city track and field championships. On Labour Day of the same year, she broke the British
held high jump world record. In 1928, she became a member of the Matchless Six, a group of 7 Canadian women who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics
in Amsterdam
, the first Olympics to allow female competitors in athletics. Catherwood took home a gold medal
in high jump, clearing 1.59 metres. There was considerable focus on her physical attributes during the Games earning her the nickname "Saskatoon Lily". As well, a New York Times
correspondent dubbed her the "prettiest girl athlete" at the 1928 Olympics. However, much more than a pretty face Ethel Catherwood took home the world's first ever gold medal awarded to a female high jumper and holds the title as the only Canadian female athlete to have won an individual gold medal in an Olympic track and field event.
Upon her return to Canada, she was offered a movie contract, but declined the offer. She took a business course, was married, and moved to California
.
In 1955, she was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1966, and the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
Catherwood had an enigmatic life. After the Olympics, where she was feted as the beauty of the games, she was surrounded in scandal. Her secret marriage to and speedy reno
divorce from James McLaren, and later marriage to Byron Mitchell (whom she divorced in 1960) had the press following her every move. She later relocated to California, where she admitted she was really an American, born in Hannah, North Dakota in 1908 (later moving to Scott, Sask. in 1910.) She refused to give interviews and said she had sold all her medals and trophies. She even considered trying out for the US Olympic team in 1932. She died in California on Sept. 26, 1987.
Catherwood is the subject of a short graphic (i.e. comic) biography by David Collier
entitled "The Ethel Catherwood Story," collected in An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories, Ivan Brunetti ed. 2006.
CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Ethel Mary Catherwood (April 28, 1908 – September 26, 1987) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
athlete.
Born in Hannah, North Dakota
Hannah, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20 people, 13 households, and 5 families residing in the city. The population density was 103.5 people per square mile . There were 24 housing units at an average density of 124.2 per square mile...
, USA, Ethel Catherwood was raised and educated in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, she excelled at athletics, including baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and track and field. In 1926 she equaled a Canadian record for high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
at the Saskatoon city track and field championships. On Labour Day of the same year, she broke the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
held high jump world record. In 1928, she became a member of the Matchless Six, a group of 7 Canadian women who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the first Olympics to allow female competitors in athletics. Catherwood took home a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in high jump, clearing 1.59 metres. There was considerable focus on her physical attributes during the Games earning her the nickname "Saskatoon Lily". As well, a New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
correspondent dubbed her the "prettiest girl athlete" at the 1928 Olympics. However, much more than a pretty face Ethel Catherwood took home the world's first ever gold medal awarded to a female high jumper and holds the title as the only Canadian female athlete to have won an individual gold medal in an Olympic track and field event.
Upon her return to Canada, she was offered a movie contract, but declined the offer. She took a business course, was married, and moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
In 1955, she was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1966, and the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
Catherwood had an enigmatic life. After the Olympics, where she was feted as the beauty of the games, she was surrounded in scandal. Her secret marriage to and speedy reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
divorce from James McLaren, and later marriage to Byron Mitchell (whom she divorced in 1960) had the press following her every move. She later relocated to California, where she admitted she was really an American, born in Hannah, North Dakota in 1908 (later moving to Scott, Sask. in 1910.) She refused to give interviews and said she had sold all her medals and trophies. She even considered trying out for the US Olympic team in 1932. She died in California on Sept. 26, 1987.
Catherwood is the subject of a short graphic (i.e. comic) biography by David Collier
David Collier (cartoonist)
David Collier is a Canadian alternative cartoonist best known for his fact-based "comic strip essays."- Biography :As a child, Collier was introduced to the work of Robert Crumb, whose work has been a significant influence...
entitled "The Ethel Catherwood Story," collected in An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories, Ivan Brunetti ed. 2006.