From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David
Wilkie
| Personal
information |
| Full name |
David Andrew Wilkie |
| Nationality |
British |
| Stroke(s) |
Medley and breaststroke |
| Date of birth |
8 March 1954 (1954-03-08)
(age 55) |
| Place of birth |
Colombo, Sri
Lanka |
| Height |
1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight |
76 kilograms (170 lb) |
|
|
David Andrew Wilkie MBE (born 8 March 1954) is
a Scottish former swimmer, who
was Olympic and
Commonwealth Games champion in the
1970s.
He is a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of
Fame.
Biography
David Wilkie was born in Sri Lanka, the offspring of Scottish parents
who were stationed in that country.
He was a pupil of Daniel
Stewart's College in Edinburgh, and while a student there he
joined the Warrender Baths Club, one of Scotland's most prestigious
swimming and water polo clubs. It was there that he began to
develop his specialist stroke, the breaststroke.
Wilkie first came to the public's attention when he won bronze
in front of his home crowd in the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in the 200 metre
breaststroke.
He wore a swim cap for
that event during the commonwealth games, making him the first
elite swimmer to wear one in a major competition.
Wilkie's world breakthrough came as a surprise to many when he
won silver in the 200 m breaststroke at the Munich
Olympics in 1972. He had acquired the reputation of avoiding
hard work and not being sufficiently committed. However, it was
clear from this performance that he had outstanding natural
ability.
In the 1974
Commonwealth Games, in Christchurch, New Zealand, he won silver in the 100 metre
breaststroke, a gold in the 200 metre breaststroke and a further
gold in the 200 m individual medley.
However, it was after several years of intensive training, at
the University of Miami, that Wilkie's
finest hour came. He won gold in the 200 metre breaststroke at the
Montreal Olympics in 1976, in a
world-record time and preventing an American Sweep of the Men's
swimming gold medals. He later added a 100 metre silver medal to
his collection.
In 1977 he was appointed MBE.
Since his retirement, Wilkie has remained active in the world of
swimming, involved in swimming aids and technology. He was said to
be the first swimmer to wear a head-cap and goggles together in competition to improve the
streamline effect within the
water.
His swimming coach was Dave Haller.
External
links
| Persondata |
| NAME |
Wilkie, David |
| ALTERNATIVE
NAMES |
|
| SHORT
DESCRIPTION |
Scottish former swimmer |
| DATE OF BIRTH |
8 March 1954 |
| PLACE OF
BIRTH |
Sri Lanka |
| DATE OF DEATH |
|
| PLACE OF
DEATH |
|
Gunnar
Larsson
Graham Smith
Wikis
Map
Search
