Ederle, AY duhr lee, Gertrude Caroline (1906-2003), a famous American swimmer, became the first woman to swim the English Channel. In 1926, at the age of 19, Ederle swam the channel from France to England. Her time of 14 hours 39 minutes for the 35-mile (56-kilometer) distance broke the previous record and stood as the women's record for 35 years.