Faith Leech facts for kids
Leech at 1956 Olympics
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | "Flying Fish" | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 March 1941 Bendigo, Victoria |
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| Died | 14 September 2013 (aged 72) Bendigo, Victoria |
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| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Faith Yvonne Leech (born March 31, 1941 – died September 14, 2013) was an amazing Australian freestyle swimmer. She won a gold medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 100-metre freestyle. Both of these big wins happened at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
Faith was known for being tall and slim, with a very graceful swimming style. She started swimming as a child to get stronger after having some health issues as a baby. She quickly became famous for breaking many age group records. In 1955, at just 13 years old, she became the youngest swimmer to win an Australian title. She won the 110-yard freestyle event. Faith also broke the Australian record for the 100-yard freestyle twice in late 1955. This made her a top swimmer for the 1956 Olympics.
Even though she got sick before the 1956 Australian Championships, she got better and was chosen for the Olympic team. At the Olympics, Faith won a bronze medal in her individual race. She then swam the second part of the relay race, helping Australia win a gold medal and set a new world record! Faith decided to stop competitive swimming after the Olympics when she was only 15. She said that feeling very nervous before races was a big reason for her decision.
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Faith's Early Life and Health
Faith Leech was born in Bendigo, Australia. She was the second child of Johnstone Melmore and Jessie Francis Leech. Her parents named her Faith because her older sister had sadly passed away from a serious illness at age two.
As a baby, Faith had trouble eating. Her mother had to feed her tiny amounts of food every hour. Doctors tried to help, but nothing worked. So, her mother tried a different approach, focusing on a special diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.
Faith's health got better, but she was still very thin and had a curved back. To help her build strength and confidence, her parents first sent her to ballet classes. Then, they tried swimming, which her mother had also enjoyed. When Faith was six, she started swimming lessons. Her coach was Gustav Fröhlich, a famous former European swimming champion.
How Faith Became a Champion Swimmer
Faith found swimming hard at first, but she improved a lot in her second year. At the Victorian Championships, she set a state record for the 25-yard freestyle in the under-8 group. The next year, she swam even faster. She kept getting better, winning state titles for her age group from ages nine to 13. Her times were often even faster than boys her age!
Faith lived in Bendigo and could only travel to Melbourne three times a year to train with her coach, Gus Froelich. So, she practiced a lot at home using things like a pulley attached to her kitchen door. When she was 12, she swam 110 yards in 1 minute and 7.1 seconds. This was an unofficial world record for her age! Because of this amazing achievement, her parents rented an apartment in Melbourne. This allowed Faith to train with Froelich every day.
From 1954, Faith went to St. Michael's Girls' Grammar School and trained at the City Baths. All her hard work paid off at the 1955 Victorian Championships. Faith won the 110-yard and 220-yard freestyle races, setting new state records. She then went to the Australian Championships and won the 110-yard freestyle. At just 13, she became the youngest person ever to win a main title at these championships. She also won national junior events.
Faith's training was different from most swimmers. Her coach believed in shorter, more effective workouts instead of long distances. She trained once a day, swimming no more than 3 kilometers (about 1.8 miles). Her coach focused on making her stroke very smooth and powerful. Faith was 180 centimeters (5 feet 11 inches) tall but only weighed 57 kilograms (125 pounds). She had broad shoulders and large hands and feet. Her long, smooth swimming style made people call her a "flying fish."
Making the Olympic Team
In August 1955, Faith set an Australian record for the 110-yard freestyle. She broke her own record again in October. Newspapers started calling her a future Olympic star! She got sick and couldn't defend her Australian title in 1956. But she recovered in time to win the national age title in the 100-meter freestyle. Her time was very close to the world record held by Dawn Fraser. The next month, she even beat Dawn Fraser and Lorraine Crapp in another race.
Faith was chosen for the Olympic team. The Australian Swimming Union let her train with her coach, Froelich, instead of going to the main training camp. This was because her coach understood her special diet. She joined the team for the final races in Melbourne before the Olympics. Dawn Fraser and Lorraine Crapp were very strong in the 100-meter freestyle, but Faith finished second and third in two races.
Faith then teamed up with Dawn Fraser, Lorraine Crapp, and Margaret Gibson to break the world record for the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Because of her great performance, Faith was chosen to swim in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the Olympics.
Faith's Olympic Journey
At the Olympics, Faith first competed in the 100-meter freestyle. She, Dawn Fraser, and Lorraine Crapp were considered the strongest swimmers. All three won their first races. Faith won her heat by a good margin. She was the third fastest swimmer to qualify for the final, behind her teammates Fraser and Crapp.
In the final race, Fraser and Crapp were far ahead of everyone else, winning gold and silver. Faith made a strong finish, passing an American swimmer in the last 25 meters. She won the bronze medal in 1 minute 5.1 seconds. It was a very close race for third place! Faith was the youngest swimmer in the final, and she was very emotional to win a medal. She had seen the Australian men's team win all three medals in their 100-meter freestyle race the night before.
Because Australia had the three fastest swimmers in the individual 100-meter freestyle, they were the clear favorites to win the relay. In the first round of the relay, Fraser and Crapp rested. Faith, Sandra Morgan, Elizabeth Fraser, and Margaret Gibson swam. Faith swam the second part of the race and had the second-fastest time for the Australians. This helped her secure her spot in the final team. Australia won their heat easily, qualifying fastest for the final.
In the final, Australia had a tricky start. Dawn Fraser, who swam first, almost stopped because she thought she heard a false start. She still gave Australia a good lead. Faith swam the second part of the race. She kept the lead for the first half but slowed down a bit. The Australian lead was cut down to less than a second.
Then, Sandra Morgan swam the third part. An American swimmer passed her. But with only 25 meters left, Sandra pushed hard and got the lead back! Finally, Lorraine Crapp swam the last part. She made the lead even bigger, and Australia won the gold medal in a new world record time of 4 minutes 17.1 seconds! The 1956 Melbourne Olympics was the only time Australia won all the 100-meter freestyle and relay events for both men and women. This was also Australia's only gold medal in a women's swimming relay at the Olympics until the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Life After Swimming
After the 1956 Olympics, Faith Leech stopped competitive swimming at just 15 years old. She was the first person from Bendigo to win an Olympic medal, and her hometown celebrated her return. Living in the Olympic Village was a new experience for her. It was her first time away from home, and the big crowds and pressure were a lot to handle. Doctors agreed with her decision to retire, as she often got very nervous before races.
Faith worked briefly as a model in Melbourne. Then, she went back to Bendigo to help with her family's jewelry business. After her father passed away in the 1970s, she took a main role in the business. Later, she handed control of the company to her son.
Faith married Mitch Tuohy and had two sons, Adam and Troy. She didn't encourage them to become competitive swimmers because she knew how much pressure it could be. Even though she didn't compete, she stayed fit and active. She also taught swimming to children with disabilities, and some of them even competed in the Special Olympics.
Faith continued to be involved with the Olympic movement by volunteering. In 1999, she was a special guest for a celebration counting down to the Olympic Torch arriving in Bendigo in 2000. In 2001, doctors found a small growth in her neck. After surgery and treatment, she decided to volunteer for the Cancer Council. She wanted to help others who were diagnosed with similar illnesses. In 2003, Faith called fellow Olympic champion Betty Cuthbert to comfort her during her recovery from a serious illness. In 2006, Faith and her 1956 teammate John Devitt helped launch special stamps about the Melbourne Olympics.
Faith Leech is honored at the Path of Champions at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. She passed away at her home on September 14, 2013, at the age of 72.
Images for kids
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The Australian 4×100-metre relay team (second heat) at the 1956 Summer Olympics (left to right: Sandra Morgan, Margaret Gibson, Elizabeth Fraser, Leech).
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The winning quartet: Sandra Morgan, Dawn Fraser, Lorraine Crapp and Faith Leech.
See also
In Spanish: Faith Leech para niños
