Birth name Helen Barbey Name Helene Pourtales Club Union des Yachtsmen | Class(es) 1 — 2 ton Nationality Swiss Role Sailor | |
 | ||
Born 28 April 1868 ( 1868-04-28 ) New York, United States Died November 2, 1945, Geneva, Switzerland Olympic medals Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics – 1 to 2 ton People also search for Hermann de Pourtales | ||
Hélène de Pourtalès (28 April 1868 New York City – 2 November 1945 Geneva), born as Helen Barbey, was a Swiss sailor who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics.
Career
She was a crewmember of the Swiss boat Lérina, which won the gold medal in the first race of 2-3 ton class and silver medal in the second race of 2-3 ton class. She also participated in the open class but did not finish. Her husband Hermann as helmsman and her husband's nephew Bernard was also a crew member. She was also one of the first women to take part in the Olympics. She was very well known after her gold medal in the Olympics where women were allowed to take part for the very first time, becoming the first woman to win a gold medal 2 months before Charlotte Cooper.
References
Hélène de Pourtalès Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA