Harry Hay, after having served in World War I, won his only national title in 1922. He later became a swimming coach and was in charge of the Australian Olympic teams from 1924 to 1948, coaching, among others, Boy Charlton, who first brought Hay’s attention as a coach to the fore. He coached Charlton at three Olympics, 1924, 1928 and 1932, and also saw him break countless records. Hay also groomed many other leading Australian swimmers, including the Olympians Garrick Agnew, Rex Aubrey, Warren Boyd, Bill Kendall, and Noel Ryan,
Because it was against the Olympic code at the time to employ a professional coach, Hay was officially called a massage therapist. The Australian team managers, however, paid him for his coaching. He was not only a well-known swimming coach and administrator but also in surfing. Hay died from a heart attack one month before leaving for the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.
Australia