| Neil Brooks |
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Neil Brooks (born on July 27 , 1962 ) is a former Australia n Olympic Swimmer and Olympic gold medal winner. He was a member of the Australian team that won the 4 x 100m medley relay at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow . Four years later, at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles , he was a member of the relay team that won the silver medal in the 4 x 100 m freestyle. EARLY YEARS His first aquatic adventure was almost his last. Aged seven, he was playing with a friend on the shore of the Swan River , when they climbed into a boat which drifted deeper into water and overturned. Brooks was forced to cling to the boat as his friend swam to shore to seek help. His parents immediately enrolled him in swimming lessons and he came third at the State Age Championships in the 50 m breaststroke just six weeks later. He trained under Kevin Duff, who also coached Olympic medallists Kevin O'Halloran , Lyn McClements , David Dickson and Lynne Watson . In 1974 at the National Age championships, Brooks came third in the 100m and 200m backstroke, and second in the 200m freestyle. In 1977, still 14, he made his debut at the Australian Championships and came fourth in the 100m freestyle. In 1978, he came third and missed selection for the 1978 Commonwealth Games by 0.03s. Aged 17, he swam 51.91s in Perth in January 1980, breaking the Australian record. He was invited to his first national training camp under Bill Sweetenham and had the first of his many clashes with sporting administrators, walking out of the camp to return to train under Duff. He came second in the 100m freestyle at the Australian Championships, and was selected in both the individual event and the 4x100m medley relay. MOSCOW OLYMPICS Two days before turning 18, Brooks lined up with Mark Kerry , Peter Evans and Mark Tonelli in the medley relay. When he dived in for the final leg, he trailed the Soviet Union ’s Sergei Kopliakov by a metre, but drew level by the turn and lead out of the turn. Kopliakov drew level by the final ten metres, but Brooks kicked again to seal the gold medal. The 100 m freestyle was a disappointment for Brooks. After winning his heat in 52.11 s, he suffered an asthma attack and was eliminated in the semi-final in a time of 52.70 s. LATER CAREER Brooks suffered from a lack of motivation after the Olympics, and was expelled from the Australian Institute Of Sport by Don Talbot for ill discipline. He then won the 1981 Australian title in 52.61 s without training, and then accepted a scholarship to go to the University Of Arkansas . He stayed there for two years, with a best result of fourth in the 100m freestyle at the 1981 NCAA Championships in Milwaukee . Brooks returned to Australia for the 1982 National Championships, qualifying for the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane . During the training camp, Brooks telephoned his university officials in the United States to make return travel arrangements. Due to the time zone difference, he had to make his call after the curfew, leading to a team official attempting to disconnect the call. After being threatened with expulsion, Brooks pinned him against the wall. Brooks was suspended the next day by the Australian Swimming Union, effective after the Commonwealth Games for a month. Brooks demanded that they suspend him immediately for the Games, if at all, and lead a swimmer revolt, which saw the suspension scrapped. He proceeded to win the 100 m freestyle and was a part of the winning 4x100 m freestyle and medley teams respectively. He was named as Western Australia’s Sportsman of the Year. At the 1984 Australian Championships, Brooks placed third in the 100m freestyle and missed individual selection by 0.05s. He was selected as a relay swimmer only, and took silver in the 4x100 m freestyle relay along with Mark Stockwell , Greg Fasala and Michael Delany , losing to the United States by less than a second. He also collected a bronze in the medley relay after swimming the freestyle leg in the heats before being replaced by first choice Stockwell. At the 1986 Commonwealth Games , Brooks came second in the 100 m freestyle and claimed gold in the 4x100 m freestyle relay. On the return flight, he consumed 46 cans of beer and was subsequently banned. He retired thereafter, moving to Queensland and started a rock band. He later became a swimming commentator for the Seven Network during the 1990s, but was sacked in 1998 after an indiscretion, denying him the opportunity to call the 2000 Summer Olympics on home soil in Sydney . REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINK |
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