Being the son of a swimming baths attendant, firstly in Leyton, London, and then in Manchester, it was no surprise that Roy Botham, and his sister Jean, became excellent swimmers. Having enjoyed success at the 1947 Northern Counties Championships, Roy swam at the European Championships that year. In 1948, he swept the board, and won all Northern freestyle titles. Roy and Jean both competed at the London Olympics, and made history as the first brother and sister to swim for Great Britain at the same Games. After the Olympics, Roy retired from the sport but made a comeback in 1949. After moving to the Birmingham area, and swimming for the Sparkhill club, Botham was selected for his second Olympics at Helsinki in 1952, and the following year, finished second in the 880 yards at the ASA Championships. By profession, Botham was a bank clerk.
Great Britain