How Margaret Abbott Became the First Female Olympic Champion Without Realizing It

SPORTS

How Margaret Abbott Became the First Female Olympic Champion Without Realizing It

13 DEC 2024

How does it feel to make history without even realizing it? Margaret Ives Abbott, the first American woman to win an Olympic event, lived her life blissfully unaware of her achievement. Her story, rediscovered decades later, offers a fascinating glimpse into a time when the Olympic Games were far from the global spectacle they are today.

L: Portrait by Charles Dana Gibson,1903 R: Margaret Abbott plays in the 1900 Olympic Games women's golf event in Compiegne, France (Picture credit: Wikipedia)

Born in June 1878 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, Margaret Abbott’s early years were shaped by privilege and tragedy. After her father’s passing, her family moved to Boston and then Chicago, where her mother, Mary Abbott, established herself as a novelist and editor. Growing up in Chicago, Margaret’s world expanded to include golf, a game that was just beginning to capture the interest of society’s elite.

At the Chicago Golf Club, Margaret learned the game under the tutelage of prominent amateurs Charles Blair MacDonald and HJ Wigham. Her natural talent soon translated into local tournament wins, solidifying her reputation as a skilled player.

Margaret’s pursuit of education and culture led her to Paris in 1899, where she studied art and mingled with the European elite. Unbeknownst to her, the Paris of 1900 was also hosting the second modern Olympic Games. These games, held alongside the World’s Fair, were so poorly organized that many participants, including Margaret, didn’t even realize they were competing in the Olympics. Many events, including golf, were not considered a part of the official Olympic roster by the athletes themselves. This lack of recognition extended to the female competitors in golf, who did not view their tournament as a part of the Olympic Games.

A group shot of the Chicago Group Club, circa 1898. Margaret Abbott is shown, circled in red (Picture credit: History TV)

At a nine-hole golf tournament, Margaret competed against a field that included her mother. She scored a 47 to secure first place, while her mother placed seventh. The event marked a unique moment in sports history: a mother-daughter duo competing in what would later be recognized as an Olympic event. Margaret’s win earned her a porcelain bowl, not the gold medal we associate with today’s Olympics. When Margaret returned to America, she was proud of her win but didn’t connect the dots between her tournament and the Olympics. There was no widespread acknowledgment at the time that the golf event was, in fact, part of the first modern Olympic Games for women. After marrying humorist Finley Peter Dunne in 1902, Margaret balanced her life as a golfer, wife, and mother. She never sought fame for her sporting achievements, and the true significance of her victory remained a mystery even to her family.

In the 1970s, Olympic historian Paula Welch stumbled across Margaret’s name on a plaque and began piecing together her story. Welch’s research, published in The Olympian in 1982, finally brought Margaret’s overlooked achievement to light. Her children were stunned to learn their mother had been an Olympic champion, a fact she herself never knew.

Margaret Abbott’s story is a snapshot of a time when women’s sports were barely on the radar. Her win may have been unintentional, but it symbolized the gradual inclusion of women in competitive athletics. While her name was nearly lost to history, Margaret’s unique place in the Olympic legacy now serves as a reminder of how far women’s sports have come.

She didn’t set out to break barriers or make history. Margaret Abbott simply played a game she loved—and in doing so, became part of something much larger than she could have imagined.

References:

Taylor, Katie. "Margaret Ives Abbott." National Women's History Museum, 2021.

www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/margaret-ives-abbott.

Klein, Christopher. "America’s First Female Olympic Champion Never Knew She Was an Olympian." HISTORY, July 30, 2024. A&E Television Networks. Accessed December 13, 2024. https://www.history.com/news/margaret-abbott-first-american-woman-olympic-win.