Madge Syers

Florence Madeline "Madge" Syers (née Cave, 16 September 1881 – 9 September 1917) was a British figure skater. She became the first woman to compete at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1902 by entering what was previously an all-male event and won the silver medal, which prompted the International Skating Union (ISU) to create a separate ladies' championship. Syers was the winner of the first two ladies' events in 1906 and 1907 and went on to become the Olympic champion at the 1908 Summer Olympics, the first Olympic Games to include figure skating. She also competed as a pairs skater with her husband Edgar Syers, winning the bronze medal at the 1908 Olympics.

Personal life Florence Madeline Cave was born on 16 September 1881 in Kensington, London, one of 15 children of Edward Jarvis Cave, a builder, and his wife Elizabeth Ann. Syers enjoyed many sports; she was a proficient figure skater, as well as a gifted swimmer and equestrienne. She won a competition in clay pigeon shooting in 1898, and she competed at the women's swimming championships held by the Bath Club in 1905 and 1906, winning several categories. Syers did not enjoy sports that required animals to suffer and was a member of the Society for the Protection of Birds.

In 1899, Madge met her future husband Edgar Syers, a figure skater and coach who was 18 years her senior.

Career 1902 World championships The World Figure Skating Championships, first contested in 1896, was regarded as an all-male event since competitive skating was generally viewed as a male activity, but there was no regulation barring women, enabling Syers to enter and compete at the 1902 Championships in London.

Syers' entry into the World Championships prompted the ISU to discuss the subject of women competing against men at their next Congress in 1903. The concerns raised were that "(1) the dress prevents the judges from seeing the feet; (2) a judge might judge a girl to whom he was attached; and (3) it is difficult to compare women with men." To address the concerns of the ISU, Syers started the trend of wearing calf-length skirts so judges could see her foot work. The Congress voted six to three in favour of barring women from the championships.

1903–1907 Syers continued to compete elsewhere and, in 1903, won the inaugural British Figure Skating Championships, which began as a mixed competition. She won again the following year, beating her husband, who won the silver medal.

The 1905 ISU Congress established a separate ladies' event, which was supported by strong lobbying from the National Ice Skating Association. The event was known at the time as the Ladies' Championship of the ISU rather than a World Championship,

Later life Syers retired from competitive skating after the Olympics due to fading health. She died of heart failure caused by acute endocarditis on 9 September 1917 at her home in Weybridge, Surrey, seven days shy of her 36th birthday.

Results +Ladies' singles Event 1906 1907 1908 Olympics 1st World Championships 1st 1st

+Open singles Event 1902 1903 1904 World Championships 2nd British Championships 1st 1st

+Pairs Event 1908 Olympics 3rd