# Judy Grinham

Judith Brenda Grinham MBE (born 5 March 1939), also known by her married name Judith Roe or also by her former married name Judith Rowley, is an English former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships, and competed for England in the Commonwealth Games. Grinham is an Olympic gold medallist, Commonwealth and European champion, and former world record-holder. In 1956 and 1958 she was chosen as Great Britain's Sportswoman of the Year. In 1958 she became the first woman in any sport to hold/win World, Olympic, European and Commonwealth titles.

## Early life

Grinham was born in the London suburb of Hampstead and grew up in Neasden. She studied at the Convent of Jesus & Mary, Harlesden, London NW10.

## Personal life

Judy was born in 1939, her father, Norman, left as part of the BEF for war six months after she was born. He survived Dunkirk but couldn't swim and was posted to Egypt to see out the remainder of the war, where he learnt to swim. When he returned in 1946 he built a relationship with the his daughter by teaching her to swim. She became so good that Flora (her mother) and Norman (her father) sold their home to fund her coaching. She went on to win an Olympic Gold medal in the Melbourne Olympics in 1956.
Judy Grinham retired from competitive swimming in 1960, the sport was her passion not the fame, see always remained humble and in those days to compete you had to be amateur so there was no financial reward for any appearances everything had to be paid back to the ASA.
She married Pat Rowley in Neasden in 1960, in St Catherine's Church. They had two children, Keith Rowley (born in June 1961) and Ali Grinham (nee Heeks) (born in December 1962). She has five grandchildren, Daniel Page, Ellen Page, Georgia Heeks, Tahara-Jayne Rushden Rowley and Ruby Heeks.
In 1977 she got divorced and in 1979 married Michael Roe (who had 4 children). She also has five step-grandchildren.

## Career

Grinham competed in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, winning the 100-metre backstroke, setting a world record of 1:12.9. She became the first Briton to win an Olympic swimming gold since Lucy Morton in 1924.
Grinham competed in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, and won the 100-metre backstroke in 1:11.9. She went on to win a second gold medal as a member of the winning British team in the 4×100-metre medley team at the 1958 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and won an individual gold in the 100-metre backstroke. She became the first woman in any sport to hold Olympic, Commonwealth and European gold medals at the same time. She won the 1958 ASA National Championship 110 yards freestyle title, the 1957 ASA National Championship 220 yards freestyle title and the 110 yards backstroke title three times (1955, 1956, 1958).
Grinham retired from competitions in 1959. The same year she appeared as a PT instructor in the Associated British Technicolor wartime service comedy film Operation Bullshine, alongside stars Donald Sinden, Barbara Murray and Carole Lesley, but never made another film.
Grinham was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honour Swimmer in 1981.
In 2007 she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, 50 years after winning gold in Melbourne.