Helene Madison learned to swim in West Green Lake in Seattle, WA. The swimming instructor at the Washington Athletic Club recognized Madison as a potential champion and taught her the six-beat crawl stroke. Madison mastered it quickly. Although she retired from competitive swimming at the age of 19, following the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, she had won 87 trophies, three Olympic gold medals, and 20 national championships. Madison set world records for 20 distances, from 100 yards through one mile, and in metric equivalents with the exception of the 800 meters. Her Olympic firsts were in the 100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, and as anchor of the 400-meter freestyle relay.