Antwerp, 1920, and Paris, 1924, not your everyday connection to the grand old city of Nottingham, especially taking into consideration they were years of the Olympic Games.

However, Nottingham, and the county as a whole, does have a historical connection to the Games through one of Nottingham’s earliest, sporting daughters, Constance ‘Connie’ Mabel Jeans, she being a member of the Nottingham Ladies Swimming Club.

Born in the first half of 1899, around two years after Nottingham was granted city status as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria, none would have guessed the early, celebrity status, this competitive swimmer would have.

Prior to her Olympic exploits, Jeans, won the Midland District 100 yards freestyle (1913), and continued swimming during the war years, breaking numerous records along the way, winning a dozen, national titles to boot; also, in October 1919, aged 20 years, Jeans would set an All England best of 3.04.00, for the 220 yards freestyle, an achievement recognised by Nottingham’s Portland Centre with a plaque to honour.

Jeans, one of several sisters all of whom swam for Nottingham Ladies, would compete in two, Olympic Games, as a member of the, relatively successful, Great Britain swimming team; during this period, the Nottingham athlete would partake in three, separate events, at each of the Games.

Twice, Jeans, alongside her team-mates, Grace McKenzie also partaking in both, they’d come up just short in the 4x 100 metre freestyle relay, to the strong, United States of America, in which, in the former, on 29 August 1920, the USA, led by New York’s Ethelda Bleibtrey, win by a sizeable margin of 29.2 seconds – one of the most lopsided in Olympic history.

It was a little closer, four years later, on 18 July 1924, the Americans ‘only’ taking Gold this time around by shy of 19 seconds, Great Britain, and Jeans, taking home the Silver medal on each occasion.

In both 1920, and 1924, the Great Britain swim team for the Olympic finals was as follows –

Antwerp, 1920 (29 August, Stade Nautique d’Antwerp) – Hilda James, Constance Jeans, Charlotte Radcliffe, Grace McKenzie

Paris, 1924 (18 July, Tourelles, Saint-Manda) – Florence Barker, Constance Jones, Grace McKenzie, Iris Tanner

Jeans would also participate in other, individual events at each of the two Games; in 1920 she finished fourth in both 100 metres, and 300 metres freestyle, the American’s taking home the 1-2-3 in both events, whilst in 1924 she competed in the 100 metres and 4000 metres freestyle, with yet again, and American 1-2-3 ahead of her.

In essence, Jeans could class herself as being the second best in the world, behind the Americans.

For the record, in 1920, Great Britain finished in the final medals table, with 43, more than fifty less than runaway table-toppers, USA; four years later and the home nations were up to fourth, but with eight less medals than their previous outing, and the USA, again they topped the pile, this time with 99!

Although Jeans would later work as a teacher, then became headmistress (Sneinton Dale Secondary School) in Nottingham, following her successful, swimming career, she would pass away in Falmouth, Cornwall, in the mid-1980s, aged 84 years.

Jeans’ achievements, she was the first Nottingham woman to gain an Olympic medal, is acknowledged by the presentation of the ‘Jeans Trophy,’ an honour awarded to the fastest, female senior swimmer in the 100 metres backstroke (Swim England National Winter Championships).

Connie, like her sisters, were trailblazers, and Nottingham, in and out of the water, salutes them.

Do you have more on Constance ‘Connie’ Jeans? Who would you like to see featured in our Bygones section – email our Senior Correspondent, Peter Mann, via petermann78@hotmail.com to discuss.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @Olympics Connie Jeans pictured in her swimming days.