1. John Konrads was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won the 1500 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
10 Facts About John Konrads
1. 2.
John Konrads was born Janis John Konrads in Riga, Latvia, on 21 May 1942.
3.
John Konrads emigrated with his parents Janis and Elza, grandmother, elder sister Eve and younger sister Ilsa in August 1944, initially staying in Germany.
4.
John Konrads decided in conjunction with Talbot to concentrate on the 400 m and 1500 m events for the Olympics, and in 1960, at the Australian championships, set world records in the 400 m, 440 yd, 1500 m and 1650 yd events.
5.
John Konrads won the 220 yd event in world record time, but it was not an Olympic event at the time.
6.
John Konrads held the lead in the final until the halfway mark, when Rose attacked and John Konrads deviated from his raceplan.
7.
John Konrads publicly revealed his struggles with bipolar disorder, and sought to raise public awareness with features on Australian television.
8.
In 1984, John Konrads had one of his gold medals stolen from his Melbourne home.
9.
In 2011, John Konrads decided to auction his collection of swimming memorabilia, including his medals.
10.
John Konrads was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.