Iris Cummings Critchell, the last living Olympian from the 1936 Berlin Olympics, died on January 24th at the age of 104.
Born in Los Angeles in 1920, Critchell began swimming in 1933 after watching the 1932 Olympics. Her father had been an Athletics coach at Columbia University and was active as a judge in athletics and swimming events at the time she began her athletic career. She joined the Los Angeles Athletics Club (LAAC) in 1934, and in 1935 won the women’s 200m breaststroke at the Pacific Coast Championships in San Diego – which was two laps of a 100m pool.
She won the first of three consecutive national titles in the 200m breaststroke titles in 1936, at the age of 15. This gave her the opportunity to swim at Olympic Trials, held four weeks later in New York, where she qualified for the Games. As her Olympic participation was not funded, she had to spend much of the run-up to Berlin raising money for her travel rather than training.
She noted that in the 10 days between making the team and departing for Berlin on the SS Manhattan, she did not get the opportunity to train at all. During the sea voyage, also another 10 days, the only opportunity to train was in a six-by-six meter pool.
In Berlin, she finished fourth in her 200m breaststroke heat and did not make it through to the next round. She continued swimming until 1939, when her interest in the sport waned due to both lack of funding and a general feeling that the 1940 Olympics were unlikely to go ahead
After retiring from swimming, Critchell enrolled in USC’s Civilian Pilot training program which she graduated from in 1941. She was then selected to serve in the Women’s Auxiliary Ferry Service, which later became WAS, in December 1942, and flew from May 1943 to December 1944, flying 18 different types of military aircraft. It was during this time that she met her husband Howard, with whom she had two children, Sandie and Robin.
Given her wide-reaching experience, Critchell returned to USC’s College of Aeronautics to establish its aviation curriculum in 1946. This later expanded to providing aeronautics education to students in high school.
RIP Iris Cummings Critchell, the last surviving Olympian from the 1936 Berlin Games and an aviation pioneer. Here Critchell tells part of her story with narration from Morgan Freeman. https://t.co/sSpcz4TYEb pic.twitter.com/jteWGLf3sb
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) January 29, 2025
Critchell and her husband founded the Bates Aeronautics program at Harvey Mudd College of Science and Engineering in 1962, and she served as its director for 28 years. She continued teaching at the college until 1996, when she retired at the age of 76. Following her retirement, Critchell continued to assist the faculty both with student projects and as an archivist.
She left a lasting impression on the College. Current HMC President Harriet Nembhard said of her: “Iris loved Harvey Mudd College, and along with her husband, Critch, was instrumental in inspiring generations of our students to love aeronautics and to appreciate the privilege of flight”. The program she founded has several notable alumni, including astronauts George Nelson and Stanley G. Love.
Prior to setting up this program, Critchell raced airplanes competitively, participating in the All Woman Transcontinental Air Race (AWTAR) 15 times. She finished in the top 10 on seven occasions, winning the race in 1957.
Critchell was the recipient of several aviation honors. She was inducted into the National Flight Instructors Hall of Fame in 2002, the Women In Aviation (WIA) Hall of Fame in 2007, and was the recipient of the FAA’s Nile Gold Medal in 2007.
Thomas Bach, current President of the IOC, recently paid tribute to the Olympian:
“We are saddened about the loss of Iris Cummings Critchell, who has passed away at the age of 104. She was the last living Olympian from the Olympic Games Berlin 1936, where she had competed as a swimmer. My thoughts are with her family and her friends.”
At 104 years, 245 days, she is the 16th longest-lived Olympian in history. The oldest living Olympian is Yvonne Chabot-Curtet of France, who competed in the 1948 and 1952 Games. She was born on May 28, 1920.
We need to write down the history of these people. Speak to them and write their stories. I bet they have many good experiences to tell!
There’s a great interview that Iris did back in the 80’s here – Wayback Machine – it’s a fascinating perspective both on her swimming career and as an athlete competing at those 1936 Games