General
Australian swimming legend John Konrads dies at age 78
John Konrads, one of Australia’s greatest swimmers during a golden age for the sport, has died.
Key points:
- Born in Riga, Latvia, John emigrated with his family initially to Germany in 1944
- In 1949 their application to immigrate to the United States was refused and they were relocated to a camp in the Riverina region of NSW
- In 1958, John won three gold medals for Australia at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff
Konrads dominated world swimming as a teenager in the late 1950s and early 1960s, winning the 1500m freestyle at the 1960 Rome Olympics among a haul of three medals at the Games.
Across a decorated career, Konrads set 26 individual freestyle world records between the 200m and 1500m events before he turned 15.
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