ABSTRACT
Lilian Harrison was the first person to complete the crossing of the River Plate by swimming between Colonia (Uruguay) and Punta Lara (Argentina) in 1923. The Argentine press of the time crowned the victory as an achievement of the whole nation, despite the sexist appeals of the reports. This article aims to analyse the discourses of the Uruguayan press about the swimmer's achievement, using the main periodicals published at the time. An analysis of the reports allows us to conclude that, in addition to the sexist articles, which also diminished the athlete's achievements compared to her male companions, there was some level of contrariness in the reports, signalling the displeasure of the press towards the country's swimmers.
Keywords:
Sports history; Swimming; Press; Female sports