Australian swimming legend Konrads dies at age 78

John Konrads broke individual freestyle swimming world records, clinched Olympic gold medal during career

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Australian swimming legend John Konrads has passed away at the age of 78, Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) announced on Monday.

"As a swimming sensation in the 1950s and '60s, John Konrads dominated the world swimming scene, breaking every freestyle world record between 200m -- 1,500m by the time he was 15. His career tally of 26 individual world records is an incredible record," SAHOF Chair John Bertrand AO said in a statement.

"He was a proud Sport Australia Hall of Fame Member with an extravagant sense of humour who will leave a lasting legacy around the world," he added.

Konrads represented his nation at the Olympic Games, clinching gold medals in the 1,500m freestyle at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

He was at his record-breaking best at the Cardiff Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958.

Konrads claimed three gold medals -- the 440yds, 1,650yds, and the 4x220yds relay as he set the 200m, 400m, 800m, half-mile, and quarter-mile records in Cardiff, Wales.

Kaynak:

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