Mark William Stockwell (born 5 July 1963) is an Australian former competition

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 ...

and three-time Olympic medallist. Stockwell is a

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

native who specialised in freestyle sprint events, and had a successful international swimming career during the mid-1980s including the Olympics, Pan Pacific Championships, and Commonwealth Games. Following his retirement from competitive swimming, he has become a successful business executive and has been active in the administration of national sports organisations in Australia.

Early years and education

Stockwell was born and raised in

Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, TIQ Board announced
" Export Council of Australia (22 October 2013). Retrieved 11 July 2015. the son of Bill and Necia Stockwell.Daryl Passmore,
Queensland's Top 150 Rich List: Former Olympic swimmer Mark Stockwell has a winning approach
" ''The Courier Mail'' (16 September 2014). Retrieved 11 July 2015. He is a 1980 graduate of

St Laurence's College , motto_translation = To do and to teach , type = Independent primary and secondary school , religion = Catholicism , denomination = Congregation of Christian Brothers , streetaddress ...

, a Roman Catholic boys' high school in Brisbane. Stockwell was an

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

scholarship holder from 1982 to 1984, and again in 1987.Australian Institute of Sport
The Board
. Retrieved 11 July 2015. He undertook commerce and engineering studies at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, and economics coursework at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

. He also 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 the United States.Mike Bianchi,
UF swimmer anxious to test NCAA waters
" ''The Gainesville Sun'', p. 1B (14 January 1985). Retrieved 11 July 2015.

Swimming career

Stockwell won three medals at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

in Los Angeles. In the men's 100-metre freestyle, Stockwell finished in 50.24 seconds and claimed a silver medal behind American swimmer

Rowdy Gaines Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines IV (born February 17, 1959) is an American former competitive swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is a swimming analyst fo ...

's Olympic record time of 49.80 seconds.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games
Men's 100 metres Freestyle Final
Retrieved 11 July 2015. The outcome was controversial, however, because of a premature starter gun and a quick start by Gaines.Frank Litsky,

" ''The New York Times'' (1 August 1984). Retrieved 11 July 2015. Gaines's coach,

Richard Quick Richard Walter Quick (January 31, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was the head coach of the women's swim team at Stanford University, from 1988 through 2005. He was a coach for the United States Olympic swimming team for six Olympics—1984, 1988, 1992 ...

, knew of starter Frank Silvestri's tendency to fire the starter gun almost immediately when the competitors mounted the blocks;Rick Feneley,
From the pool into deep water
" ''Sydney Morning Herald'' (27 July 2013). Retrieved 11 July 2015.Jeff Commings,
Whose Start Drew Controversy And Eventual Gold At the 1984 Olympics?
" ''Swimming World Magazine'' (31 July 2014). Retrieved 11 July 2015. as a result Gaines gained about a metre's head start on the competition, and held Stockwell off to claim the gold medal. Video of the event confirmed that Stockwell had not been set when the starter pulled the trigger. Stockwell and the

Australian Olympic Federation Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

lodged an official protest, but it was denied. Stockwell, along with teammates

Greg Fasala Gregory John Fasala (born 10 May 1965) is an Australian former sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1980s, who won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Coming from Victoria, Fasala was best ...

Neil Brooks Neil Brooks (born 27 July 1962) is an Australian former sprint freestyle swimmer best known for winning the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow as part of the '' Quietly Confident Quartet''. Brooks was as m ...

, and

Michael Delany Michael William Delany (born 22 August 1965) is an Australian former sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1980s, who won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Delany was best known for being ...

, won another silver medal in the men's 4×100-metre freestyle relay, finishing in 3:19.68 – just 0.63 of a second behind the Americans' new world record of 3:19.05. He also teamed up with

Mark Kerry Mark Anthony Kerry (born 4 August 1959) is an Australian former backstroke and freestyle swimmer of the 1970s and 1980s, who won three Olympic medals, including a gold in the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 1980 Summer Olympics ...

(backstroke), Peter Evans (breaststroke), and

Glenn Buchanan Glenn Robert Buchanan (born 19 November 1962) is an Australian former butterfly swimmer of the 1980s who won two bronze medals in the 100-metre butterfly and the 4x100-metre medley relay, at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Pitted agai ...

(butterfly), swimming the freestyle anchor leg to win the bronze medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay (3:43.25) behind the Americans (3:39.30) and Canadians (3:43.25). He and his freestyle relay teammates were dubbed the "Mean Machine" by the Australian media.QSport.org, Queensland Sport Hall of Fame
Mr Mark Stockwell
Retrieved 11 July 2015. Stockwell was the only Australian athlete to win three Olympic medals in 1984.Australian Olympic Committee
Mark Stockwell Athlete Biography
Retrieved 11 July 2015. After the Olympics, Stockwell attended the

in Gainesville, Florida, United States, 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 ...

during the 1984–85 school year.
Florida Swimming & Diving 2014–15 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 79, 83, 87, 102 (2014). Retrieved 11 July 2015. He won three

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 (50- and 100-yard freestyle, 400-yard freestyle relay), and received All-American honours in each of the three events. While attending the university he dated his future wife, fellow Gators swimmer

Tracy Caulkins Tracy Anne Stockwell, Medal of the Order of Australia, OAM, (born January 11, 1963), née Tracy Anne Caulkins, is an American former competition swimming (sport), swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time world champion, and former w ...

, whom he had met in the warm-up pool at the 1984 Olympics. He followed his Olympic performance with a bronze medal for his third-place finish in the 50-metre freestyle (23.44), and a fourth in the 100-metre freestyle (51.64) at the 1985 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo. By the time 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 ...

were held in Edinburgh, Stockwell had fallen back from his Olympic times in Los Angeles. He claimed a gold medal with his Australian teammates Fasala, Matthew Renshaw, and Neil Brooks in the 4×100-metre relay (3:21.58), and finished seventh in the 100-metre freestyle (51.61). He retired from competitive swimming in 1986.Mark Ludlow,
Going for gold after the game is over
" ''The Age'' (15 January 2015). Retrieved 11 July 2015. In December 1989, ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' newspaper recognized Stockwell as one of the three best Australian swimmers of the 1980s.

Life after swimming

Stockwell married American swimmer Tracy Caulkins, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, in 1991 in her hometown of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

.Jill Lieber,
Love Games: Athletes find rewards better than gold
" ''USA Today'' (26 August 2004). Retrieved 11 July 2015. The couple live in Brisbane with their five children. He received 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 ...

for his swimming achievements in 2000, and was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame in 2009. Stockwell is the managing director of the family-owned and Queensland-based property development, investment, and management firm, W. A. Stockwell Pty Ltd. He and his brother-in-law Mike Kelso are co-owners of the company that was established as a construction firm by his parents more than sixty years prior. The firm has had successful development ventures in residential, leisure, retail, commercial, and industrial property, and has undertaken a phased AU$350 million residential development in Brisbane's West End. He and his family members were included among the 14 new entrants on the 2014 "Rich List," with a combined estimated net worth of AU$101 million. Stockwell serves on the board of directors of the

Australian Sports Commission The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is the Australian Government commission responsible for supporting and investing in sport in Australia. The Commission incorporates the Australian Institute of Sport. From 2018 to 2022, it was known as Sp ...

, and is the deputy chairman of the board. He is also the chairman of the Australian Sports Foundation, a non-profit company that raises money for Australian sport projects.Australian Sports Foundation
Our Board
Retrieved 11 July 2015. He previously served as the chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, having led the committee through its successful application process, but was sacked by

Campbell Newman Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is a former Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Quee ...

. He is the chairman of Trade and Investment Queensland, the Queensland state government's foreign investment and export program, and a former national boardmember and Queensland division past president of the

Property Council of Australia The Property Council of Australia is an Australian national lobby group representing property developers and property owners. It was formed as the Building Owners and Managers’ Association of Australia (BOMA) 1966, incorporated in 1969, and assum ...

. Stockwell is the past chairman and a trustee of the St Laurence's Old Boys' Foundation, which funds need-based scholarships for boys whose families cannot otherwise afford the tuition and fees at his alma mater,

. He is a Trustee of the Stockwell Foundation, a charitable organisation established by him and his wife to benefit at-risk children. Stockwell ran in the election for the presidency of the

Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

, in the race to succeed John Coates in April 2022, but lost to

Ian Chesterman Ian Andrew Chesterman (born 17 April 1959) is an Australian sports administrator serving as the current President of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), succeeding John Coates. He previously served as a Vice President of the AOC, and the Ch ...

References

Bibliography

* Andrews, Malcolm, ''Australia at the Olympic Games'', Australian Broadcasting Corporation Books, Sydney, New South Wales, p. 409 (2000). .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stockwell, Mark 1963 births Living people Australian male freestyle swimmers Australian Institute of Sport swimmers Australian National University alumni Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Florida Gators men's swimmers Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Olympic swimmers of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Swimmers from Brisbane Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1986 Commonwealth Games University of Queensland alumni Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in swimming Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming