Australia's oldest Olympian dies aged 95

As we say hello to the Rio Olympics, we sadly say goodbye to Australia’s oldest Olympian Forbes Carlile, who died yesterday aged 95.

Mr Carlile represented Australia in the pentathlon at the ‘52 Helsinki Games and was best-known as a swimming coach for Australia at the ‘48 London Games. He was the only Australian who first coached at the Olympics before becoming an Olympic competitor.

He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the Australian Sports Hall of Fame. He was widely acclaimed for having changed the way swimmers trained.

Forbes Carlile (right) coaching Aussie swimmers

According to the The Australian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association (ASCTA):

"He will be sadly missed by the whole swimming community. His pioneering work on elite athlete training methods included interval workouts, pace clocks and log books, heart-rate tests, training under stress and T Wave studies of the ventricles.

"He developed techniques such as even-paced swimming and the use of two-beat kicks for long-distance events."

Vale Forbes Carlile.

Read a reflection of Forbes Carlile from a former swimmer. 

3 comments

Had great admiration for this man, many don't know he was  also a uni lecturer in human physiology, he  inspired many students to go on and achieve great things.

RIP Forbes Carlile

A fabulous achievement for a life time.  Forbes Carlile will remain an immortal in history for his developments in sport during a time when diligence and honesty were paramount.

Yeah, Forbes Carlisle was one of the greats.

3 comments



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