List Of Australian Olympic Medalists In Swimming
Australia has competed in swimming at the Summer Olympics since the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, after only sending a runner, Edwin Flack to the 1896 Summer Olympics. Frederick Lane was Australia's sole swimming representative at the 1900 games, winning two individual gold medals. Women's events were added at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, with Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie being Australia's first female representatives, winning gold and silver in the 100 m freestyle, which was the first women's event on the program. At the 1908 Summer Olympics and the 1912 Summer Olympics, Australia competed as Australasia, sending a combined team with New Zealand. The table includes Malcolm Champion, a New Zealander who was part of the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay team which captured gold in 1912.
Australia has won a total of 58 gold medals in the sport, second only to the United States, who have won 217, almost four times as many (with 15 times the population). East Germany is in third place with 32 golds, although this is widely attributed to state-sponsored systematic doping programs.
Swimming is Australia's most prolific Olympic sport, having been responsible for 58 of Australia's 143 Olympic gold medals. In addition, a list of the top 100 Australian Olympians of all time, compiled by the Australian Olympic Committee, named 35 swimmers in the top 100, more than any other sport. Swimmers have been given the honour of carrying the Australian flag six times in twelve at the closing ceremony, which is traditionally reserved for the most successful athlete of the delegation.
Australia's strongest ever performance in swimming was at the 1956 Olympics on home soil in Melbourne. Australia claimed eight of the thirteen gold medals available, including both relays and a clean sweep of the medals in the 100 m freestyle, considered the blue-riband event for both men and women. This is the only time that Australia has topped the medal tally in swimming, and the tally of gold medals has not been surpassed despite the expansion of the swimming program to its current 32 events.
Australia has been most successful in the freestyle discipline, with 37 of the 58 golds coming in the stroke. Eight of the gold have come from the men's 1500 m freestyle, the most victories in the event by any country, which has resulted in the event being dubbed "Australia's race" by Australian commentators. Australia's first medal outside of freestyle did not come until 1932 when Clare Dennis and Bonnie Mealing won gold and silver in the 200 m breaststroke and 100 m backstroke respectively. It was not until John Davies' victory in the 200 m breaststroke in 1952 that a male swimmer had won a medal outside of freestyle. Backstroke is Australia's weakest discipline, with David Theile's two consecutive golds in the 100 m backstroke being the only victories in the discipline.
Read more about List Of Australian Olympic Medalists In Swimming: Individual Medalists, All Medalists
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