Charlotte Boyle

Charlotte Duggan Boyle (August 20, 1899 – October 3, 1990), also known by her married name Charlotte Clune, was an American competition swimmer who competed at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics in the 100 meter freestyle, as part of the first Olympics in which women were allowed to compete in swimming events. She held a world record in the 200-meter freestyle in 1921.

Women's Swimming Association Boyle swam for the Women's Swimming Association of New York, managed and founded by Charlotte Epstein in 1917, and was coached by Hall of Fame Coach Louis Handley. Epstein was instrumental in helping women swimmers compete in the Olympic games for the first time in Antwerp in 1920 and enroll as members of the American Athletic Union for the first time in 1914. Epstein also pushed for women to be allowed to compete at longer distances, and Boyle would later win a title in national competition in the 5-mile swim. Boyle was considered one of the first great freestyle swimmers to emerge from the WSA swimming program, which would eventually dominate many women's swimming events. Several of her 1920 Olympic teammates swam and trained with her at the WSA, including diving gold medalist Aileen Riggin and diving silver medalist Helen Wainwright.

1920 Olympics Boyle represented the United States at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, where she competed in the women's 100-meter freestyle, swimming a 1:20.4 in the semi-finals, which did not advance her to the final meet. Her fellow swimmer at the Women's Swimming Association, Ethelda Bleibtrey, won the 100 freestyle event that year in 1:13.6, a world record at the time. She was a former world record-holder in the 200-meter freestyle and the old 220-yard freestyle events. She also set U.S. records in the now-forgotten plunge for distance event.

She won national titles in distances from 50 yards to the five mile long distance event.

After her swimming career, Boyle had a long marriage with Henry Clune, a highly recognized columnist with the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. She later had a successful career as a coach, teaching thousands to swim.