Bermuda’s 1936 Olympian Hubert Spence
[Written by Don Burgess]
Did you know that one of Bermuda’s first great Olympic hopes is a former world record holder in the International Swimming Hall of Fame? And how he came to represent Bermuda is controversial, and that process will never happen again.
Hubert Leonard Spence represented Bermuda at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin along with fellow swimmers Percy Belvin, Edmund Cooper, and John Young. Spence’s participation in the games was controversial as he was born in British Guiana and didn’t live in Bermuda until months before the Games. But he was also chosen as Bermuda’s team captain!
In 1933, Spence and his brothers Wallace and Walter won the 3×100 medley relay at the Amateur Athletic Union [AAU] championships in the United States. The next year, they broke the world record in the event. In February 1936, Bermuda received its Olympic charter, and W.F. “Chummy” Hayward persuaded American William Brooks to coach the team. He also urged Spence to move to Bermuda so he could compete for the island in Berlin.
Spence was no ordinary swimmer. The breaststroke specialist broke the record in the 200m in 1932 and 1933 despite contracting tuberculosis in 1931. Spence also held every AAU record from the 100 yards to the mile. He won every AAU breaststroke national title in the U.S. from 1931 to 1935.
Bermudians had high hopes for a medal in their first Olympics with a swimmer of Spence’s stature. He swam his 200m heat at 2:52.0 and initially finished first. However, Bermuda’s celebrations were short-lived, as he was disqualified. Spence, an excellent freestyler often finishing second behind his brother at the AAU Championships, also participated in the 4x200m freestyle relay, but the team finished fifth in their heat.
Despite the disqualification and the challenges faced, Hubert Leonard Spence remains a significant figure in Bermuda’s sporting history. He would pass away in 1947 at Mount Pleasant, New York.
He was Bermuda’s first great hope at the Olympics, but the way he was selected will never happen again.
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