Helene Madison began swimming in early childhood, first at Green Lake, one block from her home in Seattle, and later in Seattle Parks Department swim programs. Catching the eye of local coach Ray Daughters in 1928, Madison began swimming competitively on his team at the Crystal Pool, and later at Washington Athletic Club. Between 1930 and 1932, Madison broke all of the world freestyle records in various distances, sweeping the freestyle events at national championships. Competing at the Olympics in Los Angeles in August 1932, Madison won three gold medals in the freestyle--in the 100 meters, 400 meters and 400 meter relay. Madison was honored upon her return by the one of the largest ticker-tape parades in Seattle history and a banquet in her honor at the Civic Auditorium. After an unsuccessful attempted at a Hollywood career (which unfortunately disqualified her from the 1936 Olympics), Madison held odd jobs before attending nursing school, and later, coaching swimmers at the Moore Hotel pool. Today, two Seattle pools bear her name.

This cloth medallion is one of 22 earned by Madison in 1931 and 1932 for breaking world records in freestyle. Each diamond-shaped medallion has a red and blue FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur) emblem in the center, and is embroidered with the freestyle record, including distance, time, and date. The patch shown here commemorates Madison's world record in the 100-meter freestyle, set April 20, 1931, in Boston, Massachusetts.