Margaret McDowall

Margaret McDowall was Kilmarnock’s finest-ever swimmer, and it all started just two months after learning to swim at the age of ten. She attended a school swimming gala to cheer on her sister Jean but, when she had to pull out, Jean persuaded Margaret to take her place, and that was the start of a tremendous career for the young Scot.

A pupil at the Kilmarnock Academy, McDowall was runner-up in the ASA Girls’ Backstroke Championship at Derby in 1949 when aged 13. She went on to win both the ASA junior and senior backstroke titles in four consecutive years, 1950-53. McDowall also won many junior and senior Scottish titles, including nine successive backstroke titles between 1950-58. At Paisley in 1951, aged 15, she set a British record 1:08.3 for the 100 yards backstroke, and lowered it to 1:07.9 at Motherwell in 1953.

When she appeared against England and Wales at Aberdeen on 13 August 1950 for the Bologna Trophy, McDowall became the youngest Scottish international swimmer at the age of 14. Scotland only won the Bologna Trophy twice (1950 and 1951) during its 32 history and McDowall was on both winning teams.

McDowall was selected for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and reached the final of the 100 metres backstroke, finishing seventh. Two years later at the Vancouver British Empire and Commonwealth Games, she failed to medal in the individual backstroke but won gold with fellow Scots Elenor Gordon and Margaret Girvan in the 3x110 yards medley relay in a Games record 3:51.0

A lack of good training facilities, because of the local council’s refusal to help out, resulted in McDowall missing out on both the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff and, at the of 22 in 1958, she retired from competitive swimming. McDowall obtained the necessary swimming teaching and coaching qualifications and established courses to help babies and people with special needs. She also helped Kilmarnock ASC to set up new teaching courses in the late 1970s. McDowall got engaged to Kilmarnock footballer Jim Craig in 1956 and they married the following year.