Dick Campion

Dick Campion, also known as “Dicky”, enjoyed two successful swimming careers. Firstly, as a British, European, Commonwealth and Olympic competitor and then as a well-known Australian administrator, coach, and marathon swimmer.

As a youngster, Campion joined the Stoke Newington Swimming Club and at the age of 16 won the English 220 yards butterfly title. He went on to win national freestyle titles at 440 yards (1962), 880 yards (1959-60, 1962), and one mile (1959-62). Campion broke the English mile and 880 yards records each on four occasions and in 1961 became the first Englishman to swim the mile in under 20 minutes.

At the 1960 Roma Olympics, Campion´s time of 17:54.8 in his 1500 metres heat not only beat Ian Black´s British record but was the first time a British swimmer had gone under 18 minutes. Also at those Games, the quartet of Campion, John Martin-Dye, Hamilton Milton, and Ian Black broke the European 4 x 200 metres record. The British quartet finished fourth but Campion went on to win a bronze with the 4 x 220 yards relay squad at the 1962 Perth British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He had earlier won the individual 1500 metres bronze at that year´s Europeans in Leipzig.

A former bank clerk, Campion emigrated to Australia in 1967 where he went on to enjoy a long career as a marathon swimmer, competing all over the world and winning many Australian and world professional titles. He was still competing in Masters races in his 70th year. Campion was president of the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation, president of the Australian Marathon Swimming Federation, and a member of the Australian Open Water Swimming Committee from 1988-2001. He was later a well-respected coach and was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2011.