Australian freestyle legend who won three Olympic gold medals and multiple world records across the 1956 and 1960 Games, one of the pioneers of distance freestyle swimming and an outstanding all-round swimmer.
Murray Rose was Australia's swimming prodigy, winning three gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics at the age of 17 — including events his countrymen had expected to dominate. A vegetarian whose dietary choices were unusual for his era, Rose was one of the most naturally gifted distance freestylers Australia has produced. He defended his 400m and 1500m titles at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Middle-distance freestyle swimming, vegetarian diet
How They Played
Smooth freestyle technique, strong in 400m and 1500m events
Lasting Impact
First swimmer to win same event at consecutive Olympics, inspired vegetarian athletes