Beverley Whitfield
Encyclopedia
Beverley Joy Whitfield (15 June 1954 – 20 August 1996 in Shellharbour, New South Wales
) 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
. She was coached by Terry Gathercole
and Don Talbot
.
The daughter of a fitter and turner who worked in the Wollongong steelworks for more than 35 years, Whitfield was taught to swim along with her sister and their cousins at the age four by her maternal uncle, who was active in the local Learn to Swim program. Along with her sister and cousins, she was a childhood member of the Shellharbour Swimming Club, and was mainly taken to local swimming competitions by her father and uncle. This became even more pronounced following the death of her mother from cancer
.
Whitfield showed a preference for the breaststroke from an early age, and would do a breaststroke kick when participating in freestyle activities. She showed a wider interest in sport while at Shellharbour Primary School, playing softball
, netball
, athletics and even playing cricket
against her male classmates. However, this ended as she approached the end of her primary school years, with swimming coming to the fore. At the age of nine, Whitfield competed in the Primary School State Championships at North Sydney Pool, coming second to Kathy Whitlam, who happened to be the daughter of future Prime Minister of Australia
Gough Whitlam
. It was at the age of ten that Whitfield witnessed Australia's Dawn Fraser
win her third consecutive 100 m freestyle Olympic gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics
, becoming the first Olympian to win an individual event three time consecutively, that forged her resolve to become an Olympian.
At the age of 11, her uncle decided to send her to Sydney every weekend to receive training from Terry Gathercole
, an Olympic medal-winning breaststroker who was regarded as Australia's foremost breaststroke coach. This involved long daytrips for her family to help her fulfil her dream, usually starting before daybreak. During school holidays, she boarded with Gathercole to train under him on a daily basis. In her first year under Gathercole, she finished third in the 100 m breaststroke in her age group at the New South Wales Championships. Her improvement was rapid, and in 1968, she won the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke in the under-14 division at the State championships before placing second in her age group at the national titles in Hobart
. This her progress to the open Australian Championships, which were the selection trials for the Olympics team. At the age of 14, she narrowly missed selection for the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico City, after finishing sixth and fourth in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke respectively in the trials.
In 1969, Gathercole was appointed as a swimming coach in Midland, Texas
, forcing Whitfield's father to raise funds for her to travel to Texas
and board with his family to continue her training for six months, where she sharpened her racing skills with more frequent racing in the more competitive American scene. Her improvement saw her place sixth and third in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke respectively at the US Championships in Louisville
. On her return to Australia in November 1969, Gathercole arranged for her to train under Don Talbot
. Whitfield found Talbot to be a hard-pushing coach:"I both hated and loved him. Terry Gathercole and Don Talbot had two different approaches. With Don I had to do all the strokes, the same number of repetitions and the same as everyone else was doing. I was exhausted."
Whitfield proceeded to win both breaststroke titles at the 1970 Australian Championships in times of 1 m 18.5 s and 2 m 48 s respectively. She then toured South Africa with the national team before repeating the victories at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh
in times of 1 m 17.4 s and 2 m 44.2 s respectively. In both races, she relegated England's Dorothy Harrison to silver in setting new Commonwealth records in both races. She added a third gold medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay, combining with Lynne Watson
, Alyson Mabb and Denise Langford
in 4 m 30.66 s. Whitfield continued her winning run in 1971, taking out the Australian Championships in both breaststroke events, although her times were slower than in Edinburgh. A third victory came with the New South Wales team in the medley relay.
She competed at the International Coca-Cola Meet at Crystal Palace
in London, taking the bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke behind the Soviet Union
's Galina Stepanova, the world record holder. Late in 1971, Whitfields' rival Harrison came to Australia on a Churchill Fellowship and trained alongside her with Talbot. At the 1972 Australian Championships, Harrison took both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke titles from Whitfield. Whitfield gradually improved her times in the lead up to the 1972 Summer Olympics
during the Australian training camp in Scarborough, Western Australia
.
Coming into the Olympics, she was not regarded as a favourite, with her best times being substantially slower than other swimmers. Whitfield's best time in the 100 m breaststroke was only 1 m 18 s, but she repeatedly lowered this throughout the competition, coming third in her heat in a time of 1 m 17.59 s to scrape into the semi-final. She then posted a time of 1 m 16.3 s, again placing third and again scraping into the final. She again substantially improved her time in the final, claiming bronze in a time of 1 m 15.73 s behind Cathy Carr
of the United States.
In the 200 m breaststroke, she came second in her heat to Stepanova in a time of 2 m 44.5 s, making her the sixth fastest qualifier for the final, placing her in lane seven. Talbot told her to stay calm if Stepanova made an early attack, telling Whitfield that the third lap was the critical part of the race. The Australian public were not expecting much of Whitfield. Her final was on the same night as the women's 100 m freestyle and the men's 200 m freestyle, in which Shane Gould
and Michael Wenden
had been anticipated to win. After the first lap of the race, Whitfield seemed unlikely to deliver an upset victory, turning through the 50 m mark in last place. She clawed back a little ground in the next lap but was still far behind at the mid-point of the race. She made her move in the third lap as instructed by Talbot, and began to reel in her opponents, causing a crowd reaction. She was fourth at the 150 m mark, before moving into third place after the turn at Stepanova's expense before claiming the lead with 20 m to go by passing hungary
's Agnes Kiss-Kaczander and American Dana Schoenfield
. Her time of 2m 41.71s was 2.5 s faster than her previous best, holding off a final ditch attack from Schoenfield. The 4 × 100 m medley relay was an anti-climax as the Australians swam poorly and came fifth in their heat and fialed to qualify for the final. On her arrival in her home town, she was accorded a street parade.
This was Whitfield's career peak. She won both breaststroke titles the following year at the Australian Championships in times slower than she had recorded in Munich , but failed to win a medal at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships
in Belgrade
. Again in 1974, she won both events at the national championships in even slower times, but managed only a bronze in the 200 m event in a time of 2 m 43.58 s and a silver in the medley relay. In 1975, she lost both of her national titles, and subsequently retired, admitting that she had lost her drive to compete.
She later worked for a period as a youth worker for the New South Wales Department of Youth and Community Services in Shellharbour and Wollongong.
She died suddenly in 1996 at the age of 42.
At her peak, Whitfield was only 170 cm and 55.8 kg. Her strength was her kick, with ergometer tests showing her leg power to be comparable to some weightlifters.
Shellharbour, New South Wales
Shellharbour is a southern beachside suburb of Wollongong, located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the Local Government Area, City of Shellharbour....
) was an Australian breaststroke
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
swimmer of the 1970s, who won a gold medal in the 200 m breaststroke 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...
. She was coached by Terry Gathercole
Terry Gathercole
Terrence Stephen Gathercole OAM , was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won a silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics...
and Don Talbot
Don Talbot
Don Talbot OBE is an Olympic swimming coach from Australia. He has coached national teams for Canada and Australia.-Canada:Since the 1950s Talbot has coached Olympic champions and World Record holders for a thirty year period...
.
The daughter of a fitter and turner who worked in the Wollongong steelworks for more than 35 years, Whitfield was taught to swim along with her sister and their cousins at the age four by her maternal uncle, who was active in the local Learn to Swim program. Along with her sister and cousins, she was a childhood member of the Shellharbour Swimming Club, and was mainly taken to local swimming competitions by her father and uncle. This became even more pronounced following the death of her mother from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
Whitfield showed a preference for the breaststroke from an early age, and would do a breaststroke kick when participating in freestyle activities. She showed a wider interest in sport while at Shellharbour Primary School, playing softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, athletics and even playing cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
against her male classmates. However, this ended as she approached the end of her primary school years, with swimming coming to the fore. At the age of nine, Whitfield competed in the Primary School State Championships at North Sydney Pool, coming second to Kathy Whitlam, who happened to be the daughter of future Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
. It was at the age of ten that Whitfield witnessed Australia's Dawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....
win her third consecutive 100 m freestyle Olympic gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
, becoming the first Olympian to win an individual event three time consecutively, that forged her resolve to become an Olympian.
At the age of 11, her uncle decided to send her to Sydney every weekend to receive training from Terry Gathercole
Terry Gathercole
Terrence Stephen Gathercole OAM , was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won a silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics...
, an Olympic medal-winning breaststroker who was regarded as Australia's foremost breaststroke coach. This involved long daytrips for her family to help her fulfil her dream, usually starting before daybreak. During school holidays, she boarded with Gathercole to train under him on a daily basis. In her first year under Gathercole, she finished third in the 100 m breaststroke in her age group at the New South Wales Championships. Her improvement was rapid, and in 1968, she won the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke in the under-14 division at the State championships before placing second in her age group at the national titles in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
. This her progress to the open Australian Championships, which were the selection trials for the Olympics team. At the age of 14, she narrowly missed selection for the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City, after finishing sixth and fourth in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke respectively in the trials.
In 1969, Gathercole was appointed as a swimming coach in Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, forcing Whitfield's father to raise funds for her to travel to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and board with his family to continue her training for six months, where she sharpened her racing skills with more frequent racing in the more competitive American scene. Her improvement saw her place sixth and third in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke respectively at the US Championships in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. On her return to Australia in November 1969, Gathercole arranged for her to train under Don Talbot
Don Talbot
Don Talbot OBE is an Olympic swimming coach from Australia. He has coached national teams for Canada and Australia.-Canada:Since the 1950s Talbot has coached Olympic champions and World Record holders for a thirty year period...
. Whitfield found Talbot to be a hard-pushing coach:"I both hated and loved him. Terry Gathercole and Don Talbot had two different approaches. With Don I had to do all the strokes, the same number of repetitions and the same as everyone else was doing. I was exhausted."
Whitfield proceeded to win both breaststroke titles at the 1970 Australian Championships in times of 1 m 18.5 s and 2 m 48 s respectively. She then toured South Africa with the national team before repeating the victories at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in times of 1 m 17.4 s and 2 m 44.2 s respectively. In both races, she relegated England's Dorothy Harrison to silver in setting new Commonwealth records in both races. She added a third gold medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay, combining with Lynne Watson
Lynne Watson
Lynne Watson , known after marriage as Lynne Bates was an Australian backstroke swimmer of the 1960s, who won a silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, narrowly missing two more medals....
, Alyson Mabb and Denise Langford
Denise Langford
Denise June Langford is a former Australian swimmer. She competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1970 British Commonwealth Games. Langford is the mother of Australian netball player Kimberlee Green....
in 4 m 30.66 s. Whitfield continued her winning run in 1971, taking out the Australian Championships in both breaststroke events, although her times were slower than in Edinburgh. A third victory came with the New South Wales team in the medley relay.
She competed at the International Coca-Cola Meet at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
in London, taking the bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke behind the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's Galina Stepanova, the world record holder. Late in 1971, Whitfields' rival Harrison came to Australia on a Churchill Fellowship and trained alongside her with Talbot. At the 1972 Australian Championships, Harrison took both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke titles from Whitfield. Whitfield gradually improved her times in the lead up to 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....
during the Australian training camp in Scarborough, Western Australia
Scarborough, Western Australia
Scarborough is a coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located approximately 14 km northwest of the city centre in the local government area of the City of Stirling...
.
Coming into the Olympics, she was not regarded as a favourite, with her best times being substantially slower than other swimmers. Whitfield's best time in the 100 m breaststroke was only 1 m 18 s, but she repeatedly lowered this throughout the competition, coming third in her heat in a time of 1 m 17.59 s to scrape into the semi-final. She then posted a time of 1 m 16.3 s, again placing third and again scraping into the final. She again substantially improved her time in the final, claiming bronze in a time of 1 m 15.73 s behind Cathy Carr
Cathy Carr
Angelina Helen Catherine Cordovano , known professionally as Cathy Carr, was an American pop singer.She was born in the New York borough of The Bronx...
of the United States.
In the 200 m breaststroke, she came second in her heat to Stepanova in a time of 2 m 44.5 s, making her the sixth fastest qualifier for the final, placing her in lane seven. Talbot told her to stay calm if Stepanova made an early attack, telling Whitfield that the third lap was the critical part of the race. The Australian public were not expecting much of Whitfield. Her final was on the same night as the women's 100 m freestyle and the men's 200 m freestyle, in which Shane Gould
Shane Gould
Shane 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:...
and Michael Wenden
Michael Wenden
Michael Vincent Wenden AM MBE was a champion swimmer who represented Australia in the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics...
had been anticipated to win. After the first lap of the race, Whitfield seemed unlikely to deliver an upset victory, turning through the 50 m mark in last place. She clawed back a little ground in the next lap but was still far behind at the mid-point of the race. She made her move in the third lap as instructed by Talbot, and began to reel in her opponents, causing a crowd reaction. She was fourth at the 150 m mark, before moving into third place after the turn at Stepanova's expense before claiming the lead with 20 m to go by passing hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
's Agnes Kiss-Kaczander and American Dana Schoenfield
Dana Schoenfield
Dana Lee Schoenfield is an American swimmer who partipicated in the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany and won a silver medal in the 200 metre breaststroke.-Early life:...
. Her time of 2m 41.71s was 2.5 s faster than her previous best, holding off a final ditch attack from Schoenfield. The 4 × 100 m medley relay was an anti-climax as the Australians swam poorly and came fifth in their heat and fialed to qualify for the final. On her arrival in her home town, she was accorded a street parade.
This was Whitfield's career peak. She won both breaststroke titles the following year at the Australian Championships in times slower than she had recorded in Munich , but failed to win a medal at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships
1973 World Aquatics Championships
The first FINA World Championships in Aquatics were held in the Tašmajdan Sports Centre in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, from August 31 to September 9, 1973.-Medal table:-Diving:MenWomen-Swimming:MenWomen- Synchronised swimming :Women...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. Again in 1974, she won both events at the national championships in even slower times, but managed only a bronze in the 200 m event in a time of 2 m 43.58 s and a silver in the medley relay. In 1975, she lost both of her national titles, and subsequently retired, admitting that she had lost her drive to compete.
She later worked for a period as a youth worker for the New South Wales Department of Youth and Community Services in Shellharbour and Wollongong.
She died suddenly in 1996 at the age of 42.
At her peak, Whitfield was only 170 cm and 55.8 kg. Her strength was her kick, with ergometer tests showing her leg power to be comparable to some weightlifters.