Black and white photo with two children seated, mother standing to the left, one child standing in the middle, and father standing to the right.
Image of the Jordan's Flying circus family; Lena Jordan is standing in the middle.

Lena Jordan (1880/81[1] – unknown) was a Russian gymnast, who performed in circuses during the 19th century. In 1897, Jordan was the first recorded person to perform a triple somersault.

Career

Jordan started doing gymnastics in the Russian Empire (now Latvia) in 1892.[1] She initially worked for the Flying Jordans circus. It was claimed that she performed a triple somersault during a routine in the US in 1896, although this has not been officially recognised.[2] In May 1897, Jordan, aged 16, became the first recorded person to perform a triple somersault during a routine in Sydney, Australia.[1][2][3][4][5] Jordan later joined the Barnum & Bailey Circus, during which time she performed the triple somersault 28 times.[5] For many years, Ernest Clarke was wrongly attributed as performing the first recorded triple somersault. However, he first performed a triple somersault in 1909, 12 years after Jordan. In 1975, the Guinness Book of World Records acknowledged Jordan as the record holder.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Theatre Royal". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 May 1897. p. 8. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Trove.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, Sue (May 2009). Victorian Traffic: Identity, Exchange, Performance. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 184. ISBN 9781443810258. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Lena Jordan: Set Record For Daring Trapeze Stunt". Chicago Sun-Times. 15 December 1992. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Highbeam.
  4. ^ a b Culhane, John (19 March 1978). "Trapeze". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Williams, Christian (2 April 1983). "Circus Lives". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
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