JUST FOR THE RECORD: Three of Australia’s world record holders over 800m freestyle (L-R) Jenny Turrall, Michelle Ford and Shane Gould, rubbing shoulders at the launch of Turning The Tide. Image Courtesy Anthony Edgar. Michelle Ford Joined By Australian 800m freestyle Greats Shane Gould and Jenny Turrall For A Trip Down Swimming’s Memory Lanes Australia has a happy history when it pertains to the females’s 800m freestyle without any less than 7 swimmers in between 1956 and 1978 re-writing the world record books in case which was very first swum at the Olympics in Mexico in 1968. WHAT A MEMOIR: Michelle Ford with book at Elouera Beach. Picture Courtesy John Veage. And it is not every day that swimmers from bygone ages get the possibility to blend and socialize and keep in mind the days when they too ruled the swimming pool– and it’s not every day that Olympic gold medal terrific Michelle Ford releases her narrative. It was like bees to a honey pot for an unique day in Michelle’s profession in at Glebe book shop in inner Sydney. Additional unique to have Australia’s only 800m freestyle Olympic champ Michelle home in Sydney over the last week from her home in Switzerland to introduce her book– MICHELLE FORD Turning The Tide (With Craig Lord) and signed up with by fellow previous world record holders in Shane Gould and their fellow Sydneysider Jenny Turrall as well as host of members from the 1980 Australian Olympic group. The Book was released by United States swimming legend and triple 1984 Olympic gold medallist Tracy Caulkins (Stockwell) who trained with Ford under Don Talbot in Nashville however missed out on the Games through the United States boycott. And the tales of 40 years ago rolled off the tongues as if it was the other day and the accomplishments of Turrall, Gould and Ford quite to the fore. Australia’s list of world record holders over 800m started with another Sydneysider and current Swimming Australia Hall of Fame conscript Lorraine Crapp who kick-started the world record enter 1956– the year she won Olympic gold in the 400m freestyle at the Melbourne Games– the 400m being the longest ladies’s occasion of the day. Before Ilsa Konrads introduced her world record attack likewise under Talbot– Ilsa reducing the world mark for 880 lawns freestyle no less than 4 times in between 1958 and 1959. Sydney golden lady Karen Moras in 1970 and Gould in 1971 including their names to the growing WR list– Gould at one phase holding every world record for each freestyle occasion -100,200,400,800 and 1500m. INFORMING IT HOW IT IS: Michelle Ford Launches Turning The Tide. Image Courtesy Anthony Edgar. Before another Sydney school lady in Jenny Turrall occurred in 1974 and 1975, two times reducing the mark and ending up being Australia’s very first world champ in Cali, Columbia in 1975. And it set the phase for a ding-dong world record attack from Ford and the magnificent Tracey Wickham who in between them re-wrote the world record books 4 times (2 each) in 1978– Wickham’s time of 8:24.62 long lasting 9 years. Simply one Australian, Michelle Ford, has actually won that desired 800m freestyle gold medal at an Olympic Games, in 1980 in Moscow. Shane Gould (Silver in Munich in 1972) had actually been the only medallist before Michelle’s gold with Julie McDonald (Bronze in Seoul in 1988), Hayley Lewis (Silver in Barcelona in 1992) and Ariarne Titmus (Silver in Tokyo in 2020) the only 3 Australian medallists in case over the previous 9 Olympiads. Ford remembers the fight for supremacy in front of sell-out crowds in Sydney and Brisbane as her and Wickham swam their method to the top of global swimming– both making the 1976 Olympic group at simply 13 years of age. Their exploits and those of their coaches Dick Caine (Ford) and Wickham (Bill Sweetenham and Laurie Lawrence) as they got ready for the 1978 Worlds in West Berlin, the Moscow Olympics and 1982 Commonwealth Games produces fascinating reading– however just one would handle the may of the East Germans in Moscow. With Wickham picking to withdraw from the boycotted Games group and a swim group which now had Sweetenham as Head Coach– paradoxically including the Midas Touch to Ford’s Moscow gold. MICHELLE FORD– Turning The Tide (with Craig Lord) Fair Play Publishing and Amazon. TURNING THE TIDE: Michelle Ford’s informing tale of the right to swim and the battle to win. Picture Courtesy Anthony Edgar. TRAINING PARTNERS AND FRIENDS FOR LIFE: Olympic gold medallists Michelle Ford and Tracy Caulkins (Stockwell). Picture Anthony Edgar. MOSCOW FLAG BEARER: Moscow 1500m freestyle bronze medallist Max Metzker who brought the Australian Flag in the 1980 Opening Ceremony. Image Courtesy Anthony Edgar. INDICATION OF THE TIMES: Michelle Ford autographs a book for Tracy Caulkins and hubby, 1984 triple Olympic medallist Mark Stockwell. Picture Courtesy Anthony Edgar. 3’S ALLOWED: LA triple medallist Mark Stockwell, 1980 Olympic gold medalist (4x100m collection relay) Mark Kerry with partner Lynda. Picture Courtesy Anthony Edgar. MOSCOW MEMORIES: Michelle Ford with fellow 1980 Moscow Olympian, decathlete Peter Hadfield. Picture Courtesy Anthony Edgar. HERE’S LOOKING A YOU KID: Toasting the Turning Off The Tide. Picture Courtesy Anthony Edgar.
Michelle Ford Joined By Australian 800m freestyle Greats Shane Gould and Jenny Turrall For A Trip Down Swimming’s Memory Lanes – Swimming World Magazine
