X-Nico

4 unusual facts about Allan Wood


Allan Wood

He spent his entire career in the shadow of fellow Australian distance freestyle swimmers Murray Rose and Bob Windle who won Olympic gold medals.

Prior to the Tokyo Olympics, Wood's coach, Don Talbot, strove to change Wood's technique, slowing down the stroke rate, but increasing the deepness of the strokes.

This paid dividends at the Olympics when Wood, who had never swum faster than 4 m 20 in the 400 m freestyle, dropped his personal best to 4 m 15.1s, to claim bronze behind the United States' Don Schollander and East Germany's Frank Wiegand.

Although the team of John Devitt, John Konrads, David Dickson, Rose proceeded to claim bronze in the final, Wood was not awarded a medal, as heat swimmers were not entitled to one until 1984.


Brad Cooper

However, he continued to switch coaches throughout the year, also training with Allan Wood and Tony Fraser.


see also

Alan Wood

Allan Singleton-Wood (born 1933), British musician and publisher who performed under the stage name Allan Wood