Duncan John D'Arcy Armstrong (born 7 April 1968) is an Australian former competitive

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Armstrong is best remembered for winning a gold and silver medal at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Early years

Armstrong was born in the Queensland city of

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

, and began swimming at the age of five. Convinced of his potential as a competitive swimmer, his family moved to Brisbane where he began training with the A.C.I. Lawrence Swimming Club as a teenager under flamboyant coach

Laurie Lawrence Laurie Joseph Lawrence (born 14 October 1941) is an Australian swimming coach. He was also an Australia national rugby union team member in 1964. Early life Lawrence was born in the Queensland city of Townsville, where his father, Alan 'Stumpy' ...

.John Lohn,
Historical Dictionary of Competitive Swimming
'', Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, p. 3 (2010). Retrieved 7 March 2015. While training with coach Lawrence, Armstrong swam alongside 1984 Olympic gold medallist

Jon Sieben Jonathan Scott Sieben, OAM (born 24 August 1966) is an Australian former butterfly swimmer of the 1980s, who won gold in the 200-metre butterfly at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Olympics. Hailing from Brisbane, Queensland, Sieben wa ...

; he viewed Sieben as a role model, and emulating Sieben's Olympic success became Armstrong's goal. He attended the selective

Brisbane State High School , motto_translation = Knowledge is Power , city = South Brisbane , state = Queensland , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Public, selective, co-educational, secondary, ...

in Brisbane, where he was captain of the school's swim team.Brisbane State High School
Legends of State High
. Retrieved 10 March 2015. Armstrong graduated from State High in 1985.

International swimming career

Armstrong made his international swimming debut in the

1986 Commonwealth Games The 1986 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a 'Cho-fhlaitheis 1986) were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. They were the second Games to be held in Edinburgh. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largel ...

in Edinburgh, Scotland. He won his first gold medal in the 400-metre freestyle in dramatic fashion by surging from behind after trailing by nearly 25 metres at the midway point of the race. Armstrong earned his second gold medal as a member of the winning Australian team in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay.Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Athlete Members
Duncan Armstrong
. Retrieved 24 September 2020. Armstrong arrived in Seoul for the

ranked 46th in the world, facing a trio of past and current world record holders in the men's 200-metre freestyle:

Matt Biondi Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

of the United States,

Artur Wojdat Artur Wojdat (born 20 May 1968 in Olsztyn) is a former international swimmer from Poland, who won the bronze medal in the men's 400 metres freestyle at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He also competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics i ...

of Poland, and Michael Gross of West Germany. Although not favored to win, Armstrong had developed a strong sense of confidence after years of 20 km per day of training. "You look down your lane and know you've done everything you possibly can and you're prepared for this race. Someone has got to win it. Why not me?" As a back-end swimmer, Lawrence planned for Armstrong to swim as close to Biondi's adjacent lane as possible, with Armstrong effectively drafting or surfing the American's wake. At 150 metres, Armstrong was in third place, but he surged past Sweden's

Anders Holmertz Anders Holmertz (born 1 December 1968) is a Swedish retired swimmer who was a leader in freestyle (200 and 400 meters) races in the 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s, though often missing personal success. He also settled a record in the 40 ...

and then Biondi in the final 25 metres to claim the gold medal with a new world-record time of 1 minute 47.25 seconds. Holmertz placed second (1:47.89), and Biondi finished third (1:47.99). Later, in the men's 400-metre freestyle, Armstrong was once again slow out of the blocks, turning last at the 100-metre mark, and still being second-to-last at the 300-metre mark. However he finished strong, and in a photo finish, claimed the silver medal with a time of 3:47.14 behind East German

Uwe Dassler Uwe Daßler (born 11 February 1967), commonly spelled Uwe Dassler in English, is a former middle- and long-distance swimmer from Germany, who represented East Germany (GDR) in international competition. He was European champion in the 400-metr ...

's new world-record time of 3:46.95. He had cut more than five seconds off his previous personal best; all three medallists—Dassler, Armstrong and

—broke the previous 400-metre freestyle world record. Armstrong was also a member of the Australian team that finished fourth in the men's 4×200-metre freestyle relay. For his Olympic successes, he was awarded the

Young Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...

award for 1988. Armstrong attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in Gainesville, Florida, where he swam for the

Florida Gators swimming and diving The Florida Gators swimming and diving program represents the University of Florida in the aquatics sports of swimming and diving. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Colle ...

team under coach

Randy Reese Randy Reese (born 1946) is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams of the University of Florida to four national championships, and coaching the winners of ei ...

in 1988 and 1989.
Florida Swimming & Diving 2014–15 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 79, 83, 87, 100 (2014). Retrieved 9 March 2015. He won

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

titles in the 500-yard freestyle and the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays, and was named an All-American in the 400- and 800-metre freestyle relays in 1989. Armstrong was again the favourite at the

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1990 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Partic ...

in Auckland, New Zealand. However, a bout of

glandular fever In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

forced him to withdraw. He was selected to compete at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

in Barcelona as a member of the Australian team in the men's 4×200-metre freestyle relay, but the Australians were disqualified in the event final. He retired from competitive swimming after the 1992 Olympics. In June 1998, at the age of 30, he announced that he would come out of retirement and commence training for the 200-metre freestyle for the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

, as Australia was expected to be a favourite in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay event in Sydney. However, after two months of training, Armstrong announced that he would abandon his comeback and retire again.

Life after competition swimming

Armstrong married American Olympic swimmer Tami Bruce in 1989; they have two sons. Armstrong and Bruce later divorced. He has three children with his second wife, Rebecca.Calvary Christian College, News,
Learn success with Duncan Armstrong, gold Olympic medallist
". Retrieved 27 June 2015. He is a practicing Christian, and often speaks on Christian-related subjects. Armstrong has worked as an expert swimming commentator on Channel Nine's '' Wide World of Sports''; he has presented the swimming coverage for

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...

, and hosted ''Fox Sports Central on Sunday''. He is a well-known swimming safety advocate, and has also coached young swimmers. He has been a commercial spokesman for

Centrum (Latin for ''center'') may refer to: Places In Greenland * Nuuk Centrum, a district of Nuuk, Greenland * Centrum Lake, Greenland In the Netherlands * Amsterdam-Centrum, the inner-most borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands * Rotterdam Centrum, a borou ...

multivitamins and Cardiotech fitness equipment. He received a

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in recognition of service to swimming in 1989, an

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

in 2000, and a

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

for service to Australian society through the sport of swimming in 2001. He was inducted into the

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...

in 1993, 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 ...

in 1996, and the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame in 2009.Qsport, Queensland Sport Hall of Fame
Mr Duncan Armstrong OAM
. Retrieved 12 March 2015.

References

Bibliography

* Afremow, Jim,
The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive
', Rodale Books, New York, New York, pp. 182–187 (2013). . * Andrews, Malcolm, ''Australia at the Olympic Games'', Australian Broadcasting Corporation Books, Sydney, New South Wales, pp. 13–14 (2000). .

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Duncan 1968 births Living people Florida Gators men's swimmers World record setters in swimming Australian male freestyle swimmers Olympic swimmers of Australia Sportspeople from Rockhampton Sportsmen from Queensland Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Recipients of the Centenary Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Swimmers at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Olympic gold medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Swimming commentators People educated at Brisbane State High School People from Redland City