Irene Guest

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Irene Guest

| image = Irene Guest.jpg

| caption =

| fullname = Irene May Guest

| nicknames =

| national_team = United States

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1900|7|22|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1970|6|14|1900|7|22|mf=y}}

| death_place = Ocean Gate, New Jersey, U.S.

| height = {{convert|5|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}

| weight =

| strokes = Freestyle

| club = Meadowbrook Club

| collegeteam = Temple University

| medaltemplates =

}}

Irene May Guest (July 22, 1900 – June 14, 1970), also known by her married name Irene Loog, was an American competition swimmer, 1920 Olympic champion in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, and world record-holder.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51040 |title=Irene Guest |work=Olympedia |access-date=4 September 2021}}

Early in her swimming career at 17 in April, 1918, while representing the local YMCA she took second place in the Middle Atlanta AAU 220-yard title swim, with a time of 3:14.6."Two Title Swims on Coast This Week", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 21 April 1918, pg. 21

1920 Olympics

At the 1920 Olympic trails, swimming for Philadelphia's Meadowbrook Club, Guest placed third in the 100-meter freestyle, qualifying for her for the Olympic games.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51040|title=Olympedia, Irene Guest|website=Olympedia.org|access-date=March 19, 2025}}

Travelling with the team, Guest represented the United States as a 19-year-old at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, where she received a pair of medals.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, [https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gu/irene-guest-1.html Irene Guest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727003719/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gu/irene-guest-1.html |date=July 27, 2011 }}. Retrieved November 29, 2012. She received her first medal in the women's 100-meter freestyle in which she finished second behind fellow American Ethelda Bleibtrey, earning a silver medal with a time of 1:17.0. Though Guest won her preliminary heat in a time of 1:18.8 and made a nearly two-second improvement in the final, she was unable to beat Bleibtrey’s new world record of 1:13.6.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51040|title=Olympedia Biography, Irene Guest|website=olympedia.ogr|access-date=18 December 2024}}Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1920 Antwerpen Summer Games, [https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1920/SWI/womens-100-metres-freestyle-final.html Women's 100 metres Freestyle Final] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114002344/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1920/SWI/womens-100-metres-freestyle-final.html |date=November 14, 2012 }}. Retrieved November 29, 2012.

In the women's 4×100 metres freestyle relay, she won a gold medal with U.S. teammates Bleibtrey, Frances Schroth and Margaret Woodbridge in a new world-record time of 5:11.6.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, [https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/USA/summer/1920/SWI/ United States Swimming at the 1920 Antwerpen Summer Games] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109092825/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/USA/summer/1920/SWI/ |date=November 9, 2012 }}. Retrieved November 29, 2012.

In the Middle Atlantic AAU Diving Championship in Philadelphia in February 1921, while representing the Meadowbrook Athletic Club, Guest swam a 1:09 in the 100 freestyle, defeating frequent rival Elizabeth Becker."Miss Irene Guest, Olympic Star, Defeats Miss. Becker in 100-yard event", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 6 February 1921, pg. 21 At the March 1921 National Women's Indoor championship in New Jersey, Guest took second in the women's 100-yard Open Final."Miss Wainright Takes National Diving Crown", Press of Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 21 March 1921, pg. 12.

Guest attended and swam for Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1920, at a meeting of the Temple University Women's Club, she played selected violin pieces."North Philadelphia", Evening Public Ledger, 9 February 1920, pg. 11 In February, 1921, swimming for the Meadowbrook Athletic Club, guest won the 100-yard freestyle event in a time of 1:09 minutes at the Middle Atlantic AAU Championship, with Elizabeth Beck placing second."Armstrong Regains Fancy Title", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1921, pg. 21

Guest was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "honor pioneer swimmer" in 1990.{{cite web |url=http://www.ishof.org/irene-guest-(usa).html |title=Irene Guest (USA) |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=International Swimming Hall of Fame |access-date=March 17, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103049/http://www.ishof.org/irene-guest-(usa).html |url-status=dead }}