David Andrew Wilkie, MBE swimmer for Great Britain national team has died. His lost battle to Cancer has been linked to his cause of death.
About David Wilkie
The Scottish swimmer won three world titles, two silver medals in the Olympics, and the gold in the 200-meter breaststroke in Montreal in 1976.
“It is with great sadness that the family of David Wilkie MBE announce that he died peacefully surrounded by his family this morning, following his brave battle with cancer,” his family said in a statement.
Scottish-born Wilkie, who was born in Sri Lanka, took home a bronze medal at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, his first significant medal.
In 1973, he won the gold medal at the World Championship. Two years later, he achieved a world record in both the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke events.
His Legacy
Wilkie participated in an international swimming competition for the first time in 1969, competing against Nikolai Pankin, the Russian who held the world record for the 200-meter breaststroke.
In a July 1970 international event against Denmark, Wilkie broke the British record for the 200-meter breaststroke.He subsequently broke his own British record once again when he won a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, in front of his local fans. He became the first competitive swimmer to wear a swim cap in a major competition when he wore one for that event during the Commonwealth Games.
Wilkie’s greatest moment was during an amazing performance in Montreal, where he won the Olympics and beat the world record time by more than three seconds.
After going four years without losing in the 200 meters, he decided to retire at the age of 22 one month after the Games.
Wilkie was named the 1975 British Sports Personality of the Year and received an MBE the following year.
His Obituary and Funeral arrangement will be announced by his Family