It is known for Blackpool Pleasure Beach, an old-school amusement park with vintage wooden roller coasters. Built in 1894, the landmark Blackpool Tower houses a circus, a glass viewing platform and the Tower Ballroom, where dancers twirl to the music of a Wurlitzer organ. Blackpool Illuminations is an annual light show along the Promenade that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

It is also home to Blackpool Football Club, who have played their home matches at Bloomfield Road since 1901 in a stadium where three of the four stands are named after legendary players, including Jimmy Armfield, a member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad. Others are named after Stan Mortensen and Sir Stanley Matthews, who, in 1953, combined to give the club its finest moment when they lifted the FA Cup.

The final at Wembley Stadium against Bolton Wanderers was known as the "Matthews Final" due to the outstanding contribution of the 38-year-old Sir Stanley, the most popular player of his day. In the first major sports event to be broadcast live on British television, he helped inspire a famous comeback as a Mortensen hat-trick saw Blackpool recover from 3-1 down to win 4-3 after losing in the 1948 and 1951 finals.

While wandering around the town, I came across an equally outstanding sporting achievement that I knew less about. At the entrance to Blackpool Town Hall, there is a blue plaque celebrating Lucy Morton, winner of an Olympic gold medal at Paris 1924 in the 200 metres breaststroke, making her Britain's first women's individual swimming champion.

Morton's family had moved to Blackpool when her father secured a job as the Mayoral attendant with accommodation provided at the Town Hall. Her entry into the world of swimming came in an unusual way when her school headmistress Mrs Phillips sent a note to her father warning that she was "the biggest dunce in the school and swimming might brighten her ideas up a bit". 

So, aged 10, Morton became a member of the Blackpool Amateur Swimming Club, where a hidden talent was unleashed. She was so successful that she competed in the Northern Counties Championships in 1913 and won the 100 yards breaststroke event. In 1916 she won the 150y backstroke in a then world record time. She also came second in the 200y breaststroke event, a feat she repeated in the 1919 Championships.

The cancellation of the 1916 Olympic Games in Berlin due to World War One deprived Morton of any opportunities in that direction. Similarly in 1920, after she had completed successful trials for the Olympic team, she was unable to compete in the Games in Antwerp because her breaststroke and backstroke events were not competed for by women, who were only allowed to take part in freestyle races.

Morton refused to give up, though, and in February 1924 was invited for trials for the Olympic squad. It was out of season and the Cocker Street Baths where she trained were closed until Easter. However, the pool superintendent, George Swarbrick, also her coach, was permitted to open them for her to train before and after her work at St Annes Post Office.

The hard work paid off and Morton was one of 13 swimmers selected for Paris 1924 who would contest the five female swimming events. Even before the events began Morton had an eventful time, as on one of her journeys to training, her taxi was involved in an accident, and she lost five front teeth.

The Piscine des Tourelles in Paris hosted the swimming events during the Olympics, and it was here, on July 18, 1924, that Morton made history by becoming the first woman to win a gold medal in a breaststroke event. The United States’ Agnes Geraghty was the favourite and led for the first three-quarters of the race before Morton put on a late burst to touch the wall first in 3min 33.2sec. She won by less than a second with British team-mate Gladys Carson taking the bronze medal.

Morton was so modest, that when she wrote home after her victory, she covered several other topics in her letter before mentioning her Olympic success. 

When she did, she wrote: "I finally finished and asked who won - all the bath seemed to be teeming with British swimmers trying to pull me out of the water. 'You've won,' they cried. We asked for the flag to be hoisted but nothing happened. The reason for the delay was that all week the Americans had swept the board and both the American anthem, and the flag Stars and Stripes was pure routine.

"I upset the apple cart for first, USA second and Britain third. Consternation! They couldn't find a British flag so had to run up a small one in the centre with a large USA one in second position and a small British one on the other side."

Upon returning to Blackpool, Morton was welcomed by 10,000 people at the train station and a civic reception held in her honour. 

Well-wishers also showered her with gifts, one of which was a piano.

Morton retired from competition shortly after the 1924 Olympics, marrying local man Harry Heaton, but continued performing in demonstrations, including a summer season at the Blackpool Tower Circus, appearing alongside acts such as Doodles, the Blackpool clown, and Olga's Troupe of Geese.

Morton went on to become a professional swimming teacher and coached future international swimmers, including 1956 Olympian Anne Morton (no relation), at Blackpool Swimming Club, as well as officiating at various championships in Britain.

Morton died in August 1980 but was recognised in 1988 when she was inducted into the International Hall of Fame and later into the Swim England Hall of Fame.

In 2019, Blackpool Council bought Morton's Paris 1924 gold medal and other memorabilia from her career for £12,225 ($15,150/€14,340) at an auction after the swimmer's granddaughter Julia Routledge sold it.

She claimed passing on the items was "emotional," but she was pleased they were going to a good home. The collection is now on display at the town's library. Joan Humble, then chair of Blackpool Civic Trust, described Morton as a "truly remarkable woman". It helped ensure the Council's efforts to protect the legacy of a true pioneer having unveiled the blue plaque in 2012.

To most people, Sir Stanley will always be the first name when they think about Blackpool's sporting heritage, but Lucy Morton deserves to be up there with the great footballer.