John Devitt

John Devitt was an Australian sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, born on 4 February 1937 and died in Sydney on 17 August 2023. He won the 100-metre freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome in controversial circumstances, being awarded the gold medal although the timekeepers recorded a slower time than the American silver medallist Lance Larson, and the dispute helped lead to electronic touchpads in swimming. He also won gold at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay, where he swam the fastest leg of the race, and took three golds at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. Trained first by Tom Penny at the Manly Swim Club, he set world records in the 100-metre freestyle in 1957. After retiring he worked for Speedo, became an Australian Olympic Committee administrator and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1979.