Wonder Woman of the Week: Madge Syers

The Modern Olympics have a long history of historic firsts for women, and this week's Wonder Woman was one of those OG athlete game-changers. Madge Syers carved her path into the Olympics by proving her worth against male peers and proving to the world there was a place for women in international games. Syers was born Madge Cave in 1881 in the UK as one of fifteen children. From an early age, young Cave was a talented figure skater, swimmer, and equestrian. The young athlete became a regular at her local ice skating club and quickly made a name for herself as an entertainer on ice. In 1899, Cave met the man who would eventually become her skating partner and husband- Edgar Syers- and the two began chiseling out a future.

When the World Figure Skating Championships began in 1896, the event was unofficially a men's only event- though there were no official rules barring women. In 1902, Madge Syers entered the competition and won the silver medal- though the gold medal recipient tipped his hat and offered Syers his place believing she truly deserved the title. Syers competition helped convince the officials to open a championship series for women ice skaters. In doing so, Syers helped pave the way for countless women in the future to have an opportunity to compete.

Madge Syers went on to compete in two figure skating events in the 1908 London Olympics where the sport premiered in the modern games- for both men and women. Syers competed in the women's singles and easily took first place, then earned the bronze in the pairs event with her husband Edgar. Syers retired shortly after her Olympic debut and set to work writing books on her sport before dying in 1917 of acute endocarditis. Syers was one of the first women to compete in the Olympics for any sport, and her perseverance to participate in a traditionally masculine sport not only earned her respect from her peers, but opened opportunities for more women to excel in fields never before dreamed of.