Bill Devenish

Last updated

Bill Devenish
Personal information
Birth nameWilliam Charles Devenish
Sport
CountryFlag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Sport Swimming
Event Freestyle
Medal record
British Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1970 Edinburgh 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1970 Edinburgh 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1970 Edinburgh 100 m freestyle

William Charles Devenish is a former competitive swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s. [1] [2] [3]

A Sydney native, Devenish attended Westfields Sports High School and was a dominant swimmer in the Combined Schools competition, holding all possible freestyle records. [4]

Devenish claimed three gold medals at the 1967 national titles in Adelaide and the following year came fourth in the 400 metres freestyle at the national titles, where a podium placing was needed for selection to the Mexico City Olympics. [5] [6]

In 1970, Devenish secured a bronze medal in the 100 metres freestyle at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and won two relay golds, including a world record breaking performance in the 4 x 200 metres freestyle. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Rose</span> Australian swimmer

Iain Murray Rose, was an Australian swimmer, actor, sports commentator and marketing executive. He was a six-time Olympic medalist, and at one time held the world records in the 400-metre, 800-metre, and 1500-metre freestyle. He made his Olympic debut at the 1956 Summer Olympics as a 17-year-old and won three Olympic medals, all gold. Four years later, as a 21-year-old, he won three Olympic medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Petria Ann Thomas, is an Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medallist and a winner of 15 national titles. She was born in Lismore, New South Wales, and grew up in the nearby town of Mullumbimby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fanny Durack</span> Australian swimmer (1889–1956)

Sarah Frances "Fanny" Durack, also known by her married name Fanny Gately, was an Australian competition swimmer. From 1910 until 1918 she was the world's greatest female swimmer across all distances from freestyle sprints to the mile marathon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Morgan</span> Australian swimmer

Sandra Anne Morgan, also known by her married name Sandra Beavis, or as Sandra Morgan-Beavis, is an Australian former freestyle swimmer who was part of the gold medal-winning team in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. At the age of 14 years and 6 months, she became the youngest Australian to win an Olympic gold medal, a record that still stands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Leech</span> Australian swimmer

Faith Yvonne Leech was an Australian freestyle swimmer who won a gold medal in the 4×100–metre freestyle relay and bronze in the 100-metre freestyle at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia at the Commonwealth Games</span> Sporting event delegation

Australia first competed at the Games, then titled the British Empire Games, in 1930; and is one of only six countries to have sent athletes to every Commonwealth Games. The others are Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. Australian athletes competed for Australasia at the 1911 Festival of the Empire, the forerunner to the British Empire Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Devitt</span> Australian swimmer (1937–2023)

John Thomas Devitt, AM was an Australian sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won a gold medal in the 100-metre freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He won in controversial circumstances, being awarded the gold medal despite the timekeepers recording a slower time than the American silver medallist Lance Larson. He also claimed a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay.

Robert George Windle is an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1960s, who won four Olympic medals, including an individual gold medal. Windle won the 1500 m freestyle and took bronze in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and silver and bronze in the 4 × 200 m and 4 × 100 m freestyle relays respectively at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Known for his versatility, he is the only male swimmer to represent Australia at the Olympics in all freestyle distances from 100 m to 1500 m. During his career, Windle set six world records and won six Commonwealth Games gold medals. He won 19 Australian championships in all distances from 220 yd to 1650 yd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland Matthes</span> German swimmer (1950–2019)

Roland Matthes was a German swimmer and the most successful backstroke swimmer of all time. Between April 1967 and August 1974 he won all backstroke competitions he entered. He won four European championships and three world championships in a row, and swam 19 world and 28 European records in various backstroke, butterfly and medley events. He was trained by Marlies Grohe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Burton (swimmer)</span> American swimmer

Michael Jay Burton is an American swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two freestyle distance events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Robie</span> American swimmer

Carl Joseph Robie III was an American competitive swimmer, who swam for the University of Michigan and was first a silver medalist in the 1968 Olympics, and then a gold medalist in the 1972 Olympics. He was a three-time world record-holder in the 200-meter butterfly, continuing to lower his times from 1961-63. After graduating Dickinson Law School around 1970, he practiced civil law in Sarasota, Florida.

Ian MacIntosh Black is a Scottish former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in international competition, including the Olympics and European championships, and Scotland in the Commonwealth Games, during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Furniss</span> American swimmer

Steven Charles Furniss is an American former swimmer, business owner, Olympic bronze medalist and world record-holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catie Ball</span> American swimmer

Catharine Ball Condon, née Catharine Northcutt Ball, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three events. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. 4×100-meter medley relay team. Ball is a former world record holder in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events, and is remembered as a teenage star who was the dominant female breaststroke swimmer of her generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaye Hall</span> American swimmer

Kaye Marie Hall, later known by her married name Kaye Greff, is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events.

David Holmes "Dave" Edgar is an American former swimmer, 1972 Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. In a period of seven years, he lost only one 50-yard race, due to a faulty starting block. Excelling in the efficiency of his flip turn technique under the mentorship of Coach Ray Bussard at the University of Tennessee, many consider Edgar one of the greatest short course 50 and 100-yard sprinters of the 1970's.

Angela Denise Coughlan, O.Ont. was a Canadian competition swimmer. At the peak of her competitive swimming career from 1968 to 1971, she was the best Canadian female freestyle specialist, going undefeated in freestyle events at Canadian meets during that time, as well as breaking a world record and 13 Canadian national long course records. As a member of the Canadian national swim team, she anchored the 4x100-metre freestyle and 4x100-metre medley relay teams, and earned both individual and team relay medals at the 1967 Pan American Games, the 1968 Olympics, the 1970 Commonwealth Games and the 1971 Pan American Games. Named Canadian Female Athlete of the Year in 1970, she retired from competitive swimming in 1972 at the age of 19. Part of her post-competitive career was spent as a swim coach and mentor to younger swimmers. She was inducted into the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Ledecky</span> American swimmer (born 1997)

Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky is an American competitive swimmer. She has won seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. She has won a world record 16 individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships. Ledecky's six individual gold medals at the Olympics and 26 overall medals at the World Aquatics Championships are records in women's swimming‌. Ledecky is the world record holder in the women's 800- and 1500-meter freestyle as well as the former world record holder in the women's 400-meter freestyle. She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events. She is widely regarded as the greatest female swimmer of all time and one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mack Horton</span> Australian swimmer

Mackenzie James Horton is an Australian retired freestyle swimmer. He is an Olympic gold medallist, World Championships gold medallist, and 4-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he took the gold in the 400m freestyle, and became the first male swimmer from the state of Victoria to win an Olympic swimming gold in the Games' history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Guy (swimmer)</span> British swimmer (born 1995)

James George Guy is an English competitive swimmer who specialises in freestyle and butterfly. Guy has won multiple gold medals at each of the major international meets available to him, including for Great Britain at the Olympic Games (2), the World (5) and European Championships (7), and England in the Commonwealth Games (2). In addition to further medals in those events, he has also reached the podium at both the World and European short-course championships. With 45 major medals at international championship meets, 19 at global level, he is one of the most decorated swimmers in British history.

References

  1. "Bill Devenish Results". commonwealthgames.com.au. 18 June 2020.
  2. "Set Two Records In Asia". The Biz . 22 August 1968. p. 1 via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Gold Medals For Devenish". The Biz. 9 March 1967. p. 4 via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Swimmer becomes third to win cup three times". The Biz. 6 April 1967. p. 8 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Wenden Tops Own Records". The Biz. 29 February 1968. p. 5 via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Devenish Appeal Refused". The Biz. 11 April 1968. p. 5 via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Home with medals". The Biz. 13 August 1970. p. 7 via National Library of Australia.