Legendary Australian swimming coach and the country’s oldest Olympian, Forbes Carlile, has died aged 95.
Carlile first coached the Australian swimming team at the London Olympics in 1948, before competing in the modern pentathlon himself in Helsinki in 1952.
He then played a key role in coaching a number of notable Australian swimmers, including Shane Gould, Karen Moras and Terry Gathercole.
His wife Ursula told media Carlile had passed away following a short illness.
Born in Armadale, Victoria, in 1921, Carlile took up swimming as a boyhood hobby while growing up in Mosman, Sydney, training at nearby Balmoral rock pool.
Dubbed the “Father of Australian Swimming” by the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association, Carlile was remembered in a statement commemorating his life’s achievements:
“Carlile studied at the University of Sydney under Professor Frank Cotton, graduating and later lecturing there in human physiology. His pioneering work on elite athlete training methods included interval workouts, pace clocks and log books, heart rate tests, training under stress and T Wave studies of the ventricles. He developed techniques such as even paced swimming and the use of two-beat kicks for long-distance events.
“His book, Forbes Carlile on Swimming, was the first modern book on competitive swimming with its study of tapering and the historical development of the crawl. Other books by Carlile include A History of Crawl Stroke Techniques to the 1960s.
“In 1977 Carlile was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame at Fort Lauderdale, USA. Other awards include the Queens Jubilee Medal (1977), ASI life member (2003) and NSSA Hall of Fame (2003). In 1977, Carlile was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to swimming. In 1984 Carlile was inducted as a life member of the Australian Swim Coaches Association. In 1987 he was inducted as a master coach with the association. In 1989 Carlile, was inducted into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame.
“He will be sadly missed by the whole swimming community.”
