Cecil Patrick Healy (28 November 1881 – 29 August 1918) was an Australian

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Laboritories Media * '' FreeStyle'', ...

swimmer of the 1900s and 1910s, who won silver in the 100 m freestyle at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

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. He also won gold in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. He was killed in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

at the Somme during an attack on a

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trench. Healy was the second swimmer behind

Frederick Lane Frederick Claude Vivian Lane (2 February 1880 – 14 May 1969) was an Australian swimmer who competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics. Lane, from Manly, New South Wales, was four years old when his brother saved him from drowning in Sydney Harbou ...

to represent Australia in Swimming and has been allocated the number "2" by

Swimming Australia Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body has approximately 100,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators ...

on a list of all Australians who have represented Australia at an Open International Level.

Early years

The son of a barrister, Healy was born in Darlinghurst, an inner-city suburb of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, but moved with his family to the rural town of

Bowral Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. It is south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and the Southern Highl ...

where he received his primary schooling. He moved to

in 1896, joining the East Sydney Swimming Club, of which

was also a member. Healy was also a member of the North Steyne Surf Lifesaving Club. Cecil Healy attended St Aloysius' College in Sydney in 1896 and is remembered there in the Roll of Honour and via the Cecil Healy plate which is given out to the winner of the inter-house swimming competition.

Swimming career

In 1904, Healy posted the fastest-ever time in the 100 yd freestyle, 58s, but there were no official world records at the time. In 1905, his time of 58s in the 110 yd freestyle at the

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

n Championships equalled the world record to earn him his first Australasian title. He was a proponent of the new crawl stroke, raising eyebrows among classicists who perceived it to be inelegant. In 1906, Healy was sent to the

1906 Intercalated Olympics The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games (), held from 22 April 1906 to 2 May 1906, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Kingdom of Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were re ...

, one of only five athletes for whom the necessary funding was allocated. At the Games in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Healy came third in the 100 m freestyle behind the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

' Charles Daniels and

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's Zoltan Halmay. Halmay and Daniels were the gold and silver medallists, respectively, at the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 1 July to 23 November 1904. Many events were conducted ...

. After the Games, Healy toured

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, giving many Europeans the first chance to see the crawl stroke; he competed in

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, winning the

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's Cup, and also competed in

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and

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. He won the 220 yd British Championships but was thwarted by Daniels in the 100 yd event. Returning to Australia, Healy missed the Australian season. In 1908, he won the 110 yd freestyle but was unable to attend the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

due to a lack of funds. In 1909 and 1910, he again successfully defended his Australian championships. In 1911, Healy inflicted the first defeat on

Frank Beaurepaire Sir Francis Joseph Edmund Beaurepaire (13 May 1891 – 29 May 1956) was an Australian distance freestyle swimmer from the 1900s to the 1920s, who won three silver and three bronze medals, from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London to the ...

in any race after beating him in a 440 yd race. However, that year,

Harold Hardwick Harold Hampton Hardwick (14 December 1888 – 22 February 1959) was a versatile Australian sports star of the early 20th century – an Olympic gold medal swimmer, national heavyweight boxing champion, and a New South Wales Waratahs, state ...

claimed Healy's 110 yd titles. In 1912, Healy came third in the 110 yd, 220 yd, and 880 yd events at the Australasian titles to qualify for the

Australasian Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different contexts, ...

team at the

. (At the time, Australia sent a combined team with

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

.) In Stockholm, Healy entered the 100 m event with fellow Australian Bill Longworth and American

Duke Kahanamoku Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer, lifeguard, and popularizer of the sport of surfing. A Native Hawaiian, he was born three years before the overthrow of the ...

. All three qualified for the semi-final, with Kahanamoku clearly the quickest. Healy and Longworth then qualified from the first semifinal, but the three Americans, who were scheduled to qualify in the second semi-final, did not due to an error by their team management. However, Healy intervened and assisted in an appeal to allow the Americans to swim another special race in order to qualify for the final. Despite protestations from other delegations, the Americans were allowed a separate race, with Kahanamoku qualifying for the final. In the final, Kahanamoku won easily, by 1.2s, over a bodylength, with Healy in second place. Healy's sportsmanship effectively cost him the gold medal. In the 400 m freestyle, Healy set a world record in his heat, but this was improved in the semifinals by

George Hodgson George Ritchie Hodgson (October 12, 1893 – May 1, 1983) was a Canadian competition swimmer of the early 20th century, and considered by many to be the greatest swimmer in Canadian history. Hodgson won the two longer freestyle swimming gold med ...

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and Hardwick by over ten seconds. Healy finished fourth in the final. In the 4 × 200 m freestyle, he combined with Hardwick,

Leslie Boardman Leslie Boardman (2 August 1889 – 23 November 1975) was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1910s. As a member of the Australasia combined team of Australia and New Zealand athletes, Boardman won a gold medal in the 4×200-metre freestyle ...

and Malcolm Champion to hold off the Kahanamoku-led Americans. After the Games, Healy toured Europe, where he lowered Beaurepaire's 220 yd world record by more than three seconds in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, before retiring and returning to Australia. Healy encouraged the practice of swimming daily for exercise and was active in lifesaving at

Manly beach Manly Beach is a beach situated among the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. From north to south, the three main sections are Queenscliff, North Steyne and South Steyne. Etymology The beach was named by Captain Arthur Phillip for the i ...

, winning the

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silver medal for saving numerous surfers.

''The Crawl Stroke''

In March 1913, following an article he had written earlier that year on the history of "the crawl" for the ''Sunday Times'', he published an important article in ''The Referee'' on the "crawl" stroke. In a slightly amended form, 20,000 copies of the article were later released, free of charge, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, under the title ''The Crawl Stroke''.

Honor swimmer

Healy was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1981.

Military career

In September 1915, Healy decided to enlist in the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

and served as a quartermaster sergeant in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. After attending officer training in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, he became a second lieutenant in June 1918 in the 19th Sportsman's Battalion. He was killed in action on the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

battlefront. Healy remains the only Australian Olympic Gold medallist to die on the battlefield. He was buried at

Assevillers New British Cemetery The Assevillers New British Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Somme region of France commemorating British and Commonwealth soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme in World War I. The cemetery contains soldiers who died on a variety of ...

(France).

Centenary

In 2017, fellow Australian Olympic gold medallist

John Devitt John Thomas Devitt, Order of Australia, AM (4 February 1937 – 17 August 2023) was an Australian sprint Freestyle swimming, freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won a gold medal in the 100-metre freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics ...

and author Larry Writer travelled to France to research Healy's story. In 2018, the centenary of Healy's death, their book ''Cecil Healy: A Biography'' was launched by the

Australian Olympic Committee The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is the National Olympic Committee responsible for developing, promoting, and protecting the Olympic Movement in Australia. The AOC has the exclusive responsibility for the representation of Australia at ...

's John Coates and Governor of New South Wales, General

David Hurley David John Hurley (born 26 August 1953) is an Australian former senior officer in the Australian Army who served as the 27th governor-general of Australia from 2019 to 2024. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales from 2014 to ...

at St Aloysius' College in Sydney. Another biography ''Hell and Highwater: Cecil Healy, Olympic Champion whose life was cut short by war'' by Rochelle Nichols, was launched at the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club by the Hon.

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...

MP on 18 April 2018. To mark the 100th anniversary of Healy's death, the Australian Olympic Committee announced a discretionary award, named in his honour, to be presented after the Olympic Games to an athlete who has shown exceptional sportsmanship. Decathlete Cedric Dubler was the inaugural recipient in 2022 for assisting compatriot and eventual Bronze Medalist

Ashley Moloney Ashley Moloney (born 13 March 2000) is an Australian decathlete. He won bronze at the 2020 Olympic Games, the first Australian to win an Olympic medal in the decathlon. Early life Moloney attended school in Browns Plains, a suburb in Logan ...

at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

. Also, in 2018, the French municipality of

Assevillers Assevillers (; ) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Assevillers is close to the motorway A1 Lille - Paris, the TGV Haute-Picardie station and the Albert – Picardie Airport. The nearest lar ...

honoured Healy and other Australian soldiers with a special ceremony and a statue of Healy.

References

External links

Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Cecil Patrick Healy.

"Manly Pathway of Olympians", ''Monument Australia''.

Service Record, First AIF: Second Lieutenant Cecil Healy

Swimming Australia List of Australian Representative Numbers

Website of Assevillers New British Cemetery
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Healy, Cecil Patrick 1881 births 1918 deaths Australian Army officers Australian military personnel killed in World War I Olympic swimmers for Australasia Swimmers from Sydney Sportspeople from Bowral Olympic gold medalists for Australasia Olympic silver medalists for Australasia Swimmers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1906 Intercalated Games World record setters in swimming Australian male freestyle swimmers People educated at St Aloysius' College (Sydney) Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1906 Intercalated Games Olympic gold medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Sportsmen from New South Wales