Australia at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Australia
competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics
in Munich
, West Germany
. Australian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games
. 168 competitors, 139 men and 29 women, took part in 110 events in 20 sports.
Women's Individual Competition:
Men's Individual Competition:
Men's 1.500 metres
Men's 5.000 metres
Men's 3.000m Steeplechase
Men's High Jump
Men's Individual Road Race
Track Competition
Men's 1.000m Time Trial
Men's 10m Platform:
Women's 10m Platform:
Men's foil
Women's foil
Men's 200m Freestyle
Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. Australian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
. 168 competitors, 139 men and 29 women, took part in 110 events in 20 sports.
Gold
- Shane GouldShane GouldShane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...
— SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Women's 200m Individual Medley - Shane GouldShane GouldShane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...
— SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Women's 200m Freestyle - Shane GouldShane GouldShane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...
— SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Women's 400m Freestyle - Beverley WhitfieldBeverley WhitfieldBeverley Joy Whitfield was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1970s, who won a gold medal in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich...
— SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Women's 200m Breaststroke - Gail NeallGail NeallGail Neall is a former Australian medley swimmer who raced in the 1970s. She won a gold medal in the 400 m individual medley at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in world record time.- Early years :...
— SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Women's 400m Individual Medley - Bradford Cooper — SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Men's 400m Freestyle - Scott AndersonScott Anderson (sailor)John Anderson is an Australian sailor and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he received a gold medal in the star class, together with David Forbes.-References:...
and David ForbesDavid Forbes (sailor)David John Forbes is an Olympic-level sailor, who has competed for Australia in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1976 Summer Olympics....
— SailingSailing at the 1972 Summer OlympicsSailing/Yachting is a Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad . With the exception of 1904 and possible 1916 sailing was always a part of the Olympic program....
, Men's Star Team Competition - Thomas AndersonThomas Anderson (sailor)Thomas Anderson was an Australian sailor and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he received a gold medal in the dragon class, together with crew members John Cuneo and John Shaw.-See also:*List of Olympic medalists in Dragon class sailing-External links:*...
, John CuneoJohn CuneoJohn Cuneo is an Australian sailor and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he received a gold medal in the dragon class, together with crew members Thomas Anderson and John Shaw....
and John ShawJohn Shaw (sailor)John Shaw is an Australian sailor and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he received a gold medal in the dragon class, together with crew members John Cuneo and Thomas Anderson.-See also:...
— SailingSailing at the 1972 Summer OlympicsSailing/Yachting is a Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad . With the exception of 1904 and possible 1916 sailing was always a part of the Olympic program....
, Men's Dragon Team Competition
Silver
- Raelene BoyleRaelene BoyleRaelene Ann Boyle, AM, MBE, , Australian athlete, represented Australia at three Olympic Games as a sprinter, winning three silver medals. In 1998, Boyle was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia.-Early life:Boyle was born on 24 June 1951, the daughter of...
— AthleticsAthletics at the 1972 Summer OlympicsAt the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, 38 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 14 for women. There were a total number of 1324 participating athletes from 104 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*...
, Women's 100m - Raelene BoyleRaelene BoyleRaelene Ann Boyle, AM, MBE, , Australian athlete, represented Australia at three Olympic Games as a sprinter, winning three silver medals. In 1998, Boyle was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia.-Early life:Boyle was born on 24 June 1951, the daughter of...
— AthleticsAthletics at the 1972 Summer OlympicsAt the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, 38 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 14 for women. There were a total number of 1324 participating athletes from 104 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*...
, Women's 200m - John NicholsonJohn Nicholson (cyclist)John Nicholson is a cyclist from Australia.He competed for Australia in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany in the individual sprint event where he finished in second place. He won Gold at the 1970 Commonwealth Games and the 1974 Commonwealth Games also in the sprint...
— CyclingCycling at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe cycling competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich consisted of two road cycling events and five track cycling events, all for men only.-Medal table:-Medal summary:-References:*...
, Men's 1.000m Sprint (Scratch) - Danny Clark — CyclingCycling at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe cycling competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich consisted of two road cycling events and five track cycling events, all for men only.-Medal table:-Medal summary:-References:*...
, Men's 1.000m Time Trial - Clyde SeftonClyde SeftonKevin "Clyde" Sefton is a former road racing cyclist from Australia, who was a professional rider from 1982 to 1983. He represented his native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, where he won the silver medal in the men's individual road race, behind Holland's Hennie Kuiper...
— CyclingCycling at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe cycling competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich consisted of two road cycling events and five track cycling events, all for men only.-Medal table:-Medal summary:-References:*...
, Men's Individual Road Race - Shane GouldShane GouldShane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...
— SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Women's 800m Freestyle - Graham WindeattGraham WindeattGraham Claude Windeatt was an Australian long-distance freestyle swimmer of the 1970s, who won a silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the 1972 Munich Olympics....
— SWIMSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Men's 1.500m Freestyle
Bronze
- Shane GouldShane GouldShane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...
— SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Women's 100m Freestyle - Beverley WhitfieldBeverley WhitfieldBeverley Joy Whitfield was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1970s, who won a gold medal in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich...
— SwimmingSwimming at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
, Women's 100m Breaststroke
Archery
In the first modern archery competition at the Olympics, Australia entered two men and one woman. Their highest placing competitors were Terene Donovan and Graeme Telford, who both placed 9th place in their respective competitions.Women's Individual Competition:
- Terene Donovan - 2356 points (→ 9th place)
Men's Individual Competition:
- Graeme Telford - 2423 points (→ 9th place)
- Terence Reilly - 2387 points (→ 15th place)
Athletics
Men's 800 metres- Graeme Rootham
- Heat — 1:48.2 (→ did not advance)
Men's 1.500 metres
- Christopher Fisher
- Heat — 3:42.5
- Semifinals — 3:42.0 (→ did not advance)
Men's 5.000 metres
- Anthony Benson
- Heat — 13:42.8 (→ did not advance)
- Kerry O'BrienKerry O'Brien (athlete)Kerry O'Brien is a former athlete from Australia, who competed in the middle distance events. He was born in Port Augusta, South Australia....
- Heat — did not start (→ did not advance)
Men's 3.000m Steeplechase
- Kerry O'BrienKerry O'Brien (athlete)Kerry O'Brien is a former athlete from Australia, who competed in the middle distance events. He was born in Port Augusta, South Australia....
- Qualifying Heat — did not finish (→ did not advance)
Men's High Jump
- Lawrence PeckhamLawrence PeckhamLawrence William Peckham is a retired high jumper from Australia, who represented his native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1964....
- Qualifying Round — 2.15m
- Final — 2.10m (→ 18th place)
Basketball
Men's Team Competition- Preliminary Round (Group A):
- Lost to Spain (74-79)
- Lost to United States (55-81)
- Lost to Czechoslovakia (68-69)
- Defeated Japan (92-76)
- Lost to Cuba (70-84)
- Defeated Brazil (75-69)
- Defeated Egypt (89-66)
- Classification Matches:
- 9th/12th place: Defeated West Germany (70-69)
- 9th/10th place: Defeated Poland (91-83) → 9th place
- Team Roster:
- Glenn Marsland
- Ian Watson
- Richard Duke
- Bill Wyatt
- Eddie Palubinskas
- Brian Kerle
- Peter Byrne
- Perry Crosswhite
- Ray Tomlinson
- Ken James
- Tom Bender
- Toli Koltuniewicz
- Head Coach: Lindsay GazeLindsay GazeLindsay John Casson Gaze is an Australian basketball player and coach. He played for Australia in three Olympics between 1960 and 1968 and coached the Australian basketball team at four Olympics between 1972 and 1984...
Boxing
Men's Light Middleweight (– 71 kg)- Alan Jenkinson
- First Round — Bye
- Second Round — Defeated Michel Belliard (FRA), 4:1
- Third Round — Lost to Mohamed Majeri (TUN), 0:5
Cycling
Road CompetitionMen's Individual Road Race
- Clyde SeftonClyde SeftonKevin "Clyde" Sefton is a former road racing cyclist from Australia, who was a professional rider from 1982 to 1983. He represented his native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, where he won the silver medal in the men's individual road race, behind Holland's Hennie Kuiper...
—
Silver Medal - David Jose — 29th place
- John Trevorrow — 32nd place
- Donald Allan — 58th place
Track Competition
Men's 1.000m Time Trial
- Daniel ClarkDaniel Clark (cyclist)Daniel "Danny" Clark OAM is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from Australia, who was a professional rider from 1974 to 1997...
- Final — 1:06.87 (→ Silver Medal)
Diving
Men's 3m Springboard:- Donald Wagstaff — 344.13 points (→ 13th place)
- Kenneth Grove — 302.91 points (→ 29th place)
Men's 10m Platform:
- Donald Wagstaff — 435.84 points (→ 11th place)
- Kenneth Grove — 254.73 points (→ 32nd place)
Women's 10m Platform:
- Glenise Anne Jones — 157.20 points (→ 26th place)
Fencing
Four fencers, two men and two women, represented Australia in 1972.Men's foil
Fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's foil
The men's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the sixteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from August 29 to 30 1972. 57 fencers from 25 nations competed.-Results:...
- Ernest SimonErnest Simon (fencer)Ernest Simon is an Australian fencer. He competed in the individual foil events at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. He was a longstanding member and coach with the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club before establishing the Melbourne Fencing Club in 1999.-References:...
- Greg Benko
Women's foil
Fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's foil
The women's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the eleventh appearance of the event. The competition was held from September 2 to 3, 1972. 44 fencers from 20 nations competed.-Results:...
- Marion ExelbyMarion ExelbyMarion Exelby is an Australian fencer. She competed in the women's individual foil event at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
- Christine McDougallChristine McDougallChristine McDougall is an Australian fencer. She competed in the women's individual foil event at the 1972 Summer Olympics. She was a longstanding member of the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club.-References:...
Hockey
Men's Team Competition- Preliminary Round (Group B)
- Drew with New Zealand (0-0)
- Defeated Kenya (3-1)
- Lost to India (1-3)
- Defeated Mexico (10-0)
- Drew with Great Britain (1-1)
- Defeated Poland (1-0)
- Lost to the Netherlands (2-3)
- Semi Final Round
- Defeated Malaysia (2-1)
- Classification Match
- 5th/6th place: Defeated Great Britain (2-1) after extra time → 5th place
- Team Roster
- Robert Andrew
- Greg BrowningGreg BrowningGreg Browning is a retired field hockey player from Australia, who won the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada....
- Ric Charlesworth
- Paul DearingPaul DearingPaul Robert Dearing Paul Robert Dearing Paul Robert Dearing (born 2 March 1942 in Hamilton, New South Wales, Australia, is a retired field hockey player from Australia, who won the silver medal with the Men's National Team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Four years earlier he captured...
- Brian Glencross
- Robert HaighRobert HaighRobert Haigh is a retired hockey player from Australia, who won two Olympic silver medals as a member of the national team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada...
- Wayne Hammond
- James MasonJames Mason (field hockey)James Robert Mason is a retired field hockey player from Australia, who won the silver medal with the Men's National Team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.-References:*...
- Terry McAskell
- Patrick Nilan
- Desmond Piper
- Graeme ReidGraeme ReidGraeme Reid is a retired field hockey player from Australia, who was a member of the national team that won the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. He also represented Australia at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.-References:...
- Ronald RileyRonald RileyRonald "Ron" Riley is a retired field hockey striker from Australia, who twice won the silver medal with the Men's National Team, first at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and then eight years later, at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He was educated at the St...
- Donald Smart
- Ronald WilsonRonald WilsonSir Ronald Darling Wilson, AC, KBE, CMG, QC was a distinguished Australian lawyer, judge and social activist serving on the High Court of Australia between 1979 and 1989 and as the President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission between 1990 and 1997.Wilson is probably best known as...
Modern pentathlon
Men's Individual Competition:- Robert Gordon Barrie — 4600 points (→ 32nd place)
- Peter Neville Macken — 4449 points (→ 41st place)
Swimming
Men's 100m Freestyle- Michael WendenMichael WendenMichael Vincent Wenden AM MBE was a champion swimmer who represented Australia in the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics...
- Heat — 52.34s
- Semifinals — 53.32s
- Final — 52.41s (→ 5th place)
- Greg RogersGreg RogersGregory Rogers was an Australian sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s, who won a silver and bronze medal in the 4x200m and 4x100m freestyle relays respectively at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics...
- Heat — 53.98s
- Semifinals — 54.26s (→ did not advance)
- Neil Rogers
- Heat — 55.32s (→ did not advance)
Men's 200m Freestyle
- Michael WendenMichael WendenMichael Vincent Wenden AM MBE was a champion swimmer who represented Australia in the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics...
- Heat — 1:56.66
- Final — 1:54.40 (→ 4th place)
- Graham WhiteGraham WhiteGraham Ross White OAM was an Australian middle-long distance freestyle swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s, who won a silver medal in the 4x200 m freestyle relay at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics....
- Heat — 1:58.60 (→ did not advance)
- Robert NayRobert NayRobert Nay was a swimmer from Australia. Nay competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, but failed to reach the finals. His daughter Meagen Nay, competed for Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, coming seventh in the 200 m backstroke.He was killed in a car...
- Heat — 1:57.69 (→ did not advance)
Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay
- Neil Rogers, Graham WhiteGraham WhiteGraham Ross White OAM was an Australian middle-long distance freestyle swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s, who won a silver medal in the 4x200 m freestyle relay at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics....
, Bruce Featherston and Greg RogersGreg RogersGregory Rogers was an Australian sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s, who won a silver and bronze medal in the 4x200m and 4x100m freestyle relays respectively at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics... - Heat — 3:40.47 (→ did not advance)
Men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay
- Graham WindeattGraham WindeattGraham Claude Windeatt was an Australian long-distance freestyle swimmer of the 1970s, who won a silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the 1972 Munich Olympics....
, Bruce Featherstone, Michael WendenMichael WendenMichael Vincent Wenden AM MBE was a champion swimmer who represented Australia in the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics...
, and Graham WhiteGraham WhiteGraham Ross White OAM was an Australian middle-long distance freestyle swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s, who won a silver medal in the 4x200 m freestyle relay at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.... - Heat — 7:49.03
- Michael WendenMichael WendenMichael Vincent Wenden AM MBE was a champion swimmer who represented Australia in the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics...
, Graham WindeattGraham WindeattGraham Claude Windeatt was an Australian long-distance freestyle swimmer of the 1970s, who won a silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the 1972 Munich Olympics....
, Robert NayRobert NayRobert Nay was a swimmer from Australia. Nay competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, but failed to reach the finals. His daughter Meagen Nay, competed for Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, coming seventh in the 200 m backstroke.He was killed in a car...
, and Bradford Cooper - Final — 7:48.66 (→ 5th place)
See also
- Australia at the 1970 British Commonwealth GamesAustralia at the 1970 British Commonwealth GamesAustralia at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games was abbreviated AUS. This was their ninth of 9 Commonwealth Games having participated in all Games meets up to these Games.-Medals:- External links :*...
- Australia at the 1974 British Commonwealth GamesAustralia at the 1974 British Commonwealth GamesAustralia at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games was abbreviated AUS. This was their tenth of 10 Commonwealth Games having participated in all Games meets up to these Games.-External links:*...