Elenor Gordon


Helen Orr "Elenor" Gordon was a Scottish breaststroke swimmer who represented Great Britain at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics, and Scotland at the 1950 and 1954 British Empire Games. She won an Olympic bronze medal in the 200-metre breaststroke in 1952 and three gold medals at the British Empire Games.

Early life

Gordon was born in Glasgow. She learnt to swim at Hamilton Baths, where her father Gavin Gordon worked as a lifeguard. She was also part of the swimming team coached by David Crabb at the Motherwell Baths.

Swimming career

From 1947 until 1957 Gordon was the Scottish champion in the 200-metre breaststroke. In 1948, aged 15, she was the youngest member of the 1948 British Olympic team. In 1949 she competed in the British Empire Games in New Zealand. In 1950 she received the Nancy Riach memorial medal for her services to swimming. She won a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, the only British medalist in swimming. In 1954, she won two medals at the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver.
At the ASA National British Championships she won the 220 yards breaststroke title five times in 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955 and 1956.
Gordon retired from competitions after the 1956 Summer Olympics to raise a family. Besides, the Scottish Swimming Association revoked her amateur status after she accepted a 5-pound fee for a television appearance. She resumed competing in the 1990s, as a master swimmer, winning world titles and setting world records.

Personal life

Elenor Gordon married fellow swimmer Ken McKay. They had two sons, Colin and Allan. She was a secretary and a sport reporter, covering swimming for two Scottish newspapers. Towards the end of her life, Gordon used a wheelchair due to a degenerative spinal condition. Gordon was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, and into the Scottish Swimming Hall of Fame in 2010. She died on 5 July 2014 from natural causes at the age of 81, in Wishaw.