In this episode, Paul will talk about Australia's First Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist. Fredrick Lane began a proud tradition of swimming for Australia at the Olympic Games, a sport which has gone on to be our nation's most successful. In this episode some of what Paul will talk about is
- the early life of Fred Lane and his life growing up swimming around the boats on Sydney Harbour.
- his swimming career and how the sport at the end of the 19th century was undergoing fundamental stroke changes.
- some events from the year 1900, the beginnings of a new century.
- the organizational chaos of the 1900 Paris Olympics, the second of the modern games and some of the strange and peculiar events on the program. Also, how the games were overshadowed by the Universal Exposition at the time.
- Fred Lane's gold medal swims in the 220 yards freestyle and the 220 yards obstacle race in the river Seine.
- some other notable achievements at the games e.g., Alvin Karaenzlein winning four individual gold medals on the athletics track.
- the first female Olympic gold medalist, Miss Charlotte Cooper
- Fred Lane's swimming achievements after the 1900 Olympics and his later life and legacy.
Paul finishes off the episode with a short Quiz.
WARNING- This episode does make mention of animal cruelty.
Frederick Lane sources
1. Great australian sporting moments by michael roberts, michael tormey, the miegunyah press, melbourne 2008.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Ignatius%27_College,_Riverview
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Lane
4. https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/45233 ‘fred lane’.
5. Sport australia hall of fame ‘fred lane’, 2020.
6. https://www.openwaterpedia.com/wiki/Percy_Cavill
7. Olympians ‘fred lane, swimming’, harry gordon, AOC historian, https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/fred-lane/
8. The olympics: athens to athens 1896-2004. Weidenfeld and nicolson, the orion publishing group, london.2004.
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Kraenzlein
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_at_the_Summer_Olympics
11. https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1900to1909.html
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_in_Australia#:
13. Topendsports.com ‘sporting highlights for 1900’, topend sports network.
14. Australian sport through time 2007. Random house australia, 2007
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Rowley
16. https://swimjim.com/blog/the-trudgen-swim-stroke/
17. Sport australia hall of fame ‘richmond dick cavill’, 2020.
Intro music- One Shot by Soundroll
Outro music- Can’t Give it Up by All Good Folks from Upbeat.
