Leonard Smith (29 July 1906 – 14 March 1998) was a New Zealand swimmer who represented his country at the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

in London. Born in

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

in 1906, Smith was a farmer and a member of the Feilding Amateur Swimming Club. He won nine New Zealand national breaststroke titles: the 100 yards in 1939; and the 220 yards every year from 1929 to 1936. His best winning time for the 220 yards breaststroke was 3:01.4, which he swam in breaking his own New Zealand record at the 1935 national championships at the

Tepid Baths The Tepid Baths is a public indoor pool complex in Auckland, New Zealand. The baths opened in 1914 on a site that had previously been occupied by a small drydock and were very well-received by the public, with the new baths attracting 30,000 visi ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. He also held the national 100 yards breaststroke record, with a time of 1:15.6 clocked when he won the New Zealand title for that distance in 1939. At the

, Smith competed in the men's 200 yards breaststroke. He finished third in his heat and did not progress. However, he reached the final of the 3 x 100 yards medley relay with teammates

Noel Crump Spenceley Noel Stanley Crump (18 December 1916 – 25 October 1995) was a New Zealand freestyle swimmer who represented his country at the 1934 British Empire Games, where he won a bronze medal, and at the 1938 British Empire Games. Early l ...

and

Wiremu Whareaitu Wiremu "Bill" Whareaitu (15 August 1912 − 3 April 1973) was a New Zealand swimmer, who represented his country at the 1934 British Empire Games in London. Whareaitu was the national 150 yards backstroke champion in 1934, and travelled to the ...

, finishing fifth. Smith retired from competitive swimming after the 1939 season.

References

1906 births 1998 deaths Sportspeople from Whanganui New Zealand male breaststroke swimmers Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand Swimmers at the 1934 British Empire Games 20th-century New Zealand people {{NewZealand-swimming-bio-stub