- David Wilkie enjoyed an extremely decorated career in the world of swimming
- The Scottish star, 70, won Olympic, Commonwealth, European and world titles
- After retiring at the age of 22, he went on to enjoy a successful business career
Sharron Davies has led the tributes to Olympic champion swimmer David Wilkie after he died at the age of 70.
The Scot famously won gold in the 200metres breaststroke at Montreal 1976, breaking the world record by more than three seconds in one of the all-time great British Olympic performances.
Wilkie also claimed two Olympic silver medals and three world titles, completing the 100m and 200m breaststroke double in 1975.
His family released a statement yesterday saying: ‘It is with great sadness that the family of David Wilkie announce that he died peacefully surrounded by his family this morning, following his brave battle with cancer.’
Olympic silver medallist Davies, who was a team-mate of Wilkie’s at the Games in Montreal, wrote on X: ‘I am so sad to hear of the loss of Olympic champion superstar breaststroker, my first crush and definitely an inspiration, proud Scotsman David Wilkie. Sleep tight old friend.’
Wilkie was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka to Scottish parents and won his first major medal with a bronze at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, when he also became the first elite swimmer to ever wear a swim camp in a top competition.
The cap, he said, was to keep control of his long hair but it was also to partly guard against an allergic reaction to chlorine.
At the age of 18, Wilkie claimed silver in the 200m breaststroke at the Olympics in Munich in 1972 and he won his first world gold the following year.
He added three more Commonwealth medals for Scotland, including two golds, in 1974.
Wilkie was unbeaten over 200m for four years and his crowning moment in Montreal made him the first British man to win Olympic gold in the pool in 68 years.
He also won silver in the 100m breaststroke – the event now dominated by Britain’s Adam Peaty – at those Games but he surprisingly retired a month later aged only 22.
After swimming, Wilkie became a successful businessman, co-founding a healthcare company, Health Perception, which he sold for £7.8million in 2004. He also helped set up a successful pet food company, Pet’s Kitchen.
He is survived by his wife Helen and two children, Natasha and Adam.
Adam Wilkie said: ‘My dad was a truly wonderful man, father, and husband. He achieved so much in his life and those that knew him will never forget his love for life, kindness, and wonderful sense of humour.’
Team GB posted: ‘Our thoughts are with David’s family and friends.’