Faith Leech
Encyclopedia
Faith Yvonne Leech is a former Australia
n freestyle
swimmer who won gold in the 4 × 100 metres (m) freestyle relay and bronze in the 100 m freestyle at the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
.
A tall and lean swimmer known for her elegant technique, Leech started swimming as a child to build strength after a series of eating disorders in her infancy. She quickly rose to prominence after breaking a string of age group records. In 1955, she became the youngest swimmer to win an Australian title, claiming victory in the 110 yd (100.6 m) at the age of 13. She twice broke the Australian record in the 100 yards (yd) freestyle in late 1955, thereby positioning herself as a leading contender for Olympic selection in 1956. Leech's preparation was hindered by illness, which forced her out of the 1956 Australian Championships, but she recovered to gain Olympic selection in both the 100 m freestyle and the corresponding relay. Leech produced a late surge to take bronze in the individual event and seal an Australian trifecta, before swimming the second leg in the relay to help secure an Australian victory in world record time. Leech retired after the Olympics at the age of 15; she cited anxiety caused by racing as one of the main factors in her decision.
town of Bendigo
in Australia. Leech was named Faith after her elder sister, who died from leukaemia at the age of two. A delicate child, Leech had an aversion to eating in the first two years of her life, so her mother fed her in small hourly doses. Leech was twice rushed from the family home to a Melbourne
hospital. Conventional medicine failed to rectify Leech's dietary issues, so her mother put her on a fast for ten days at the recommendation of a naturopath. Leech was later placed on a diet of fruit, salad and vegetables, with an emphasis on beetroot and carrot juice.
Leech's health improved, but she remained slight and frail, with a double curvature of the back. In an effort to help her gain muscle control and confidence, her parents sent her to ballet, before trying swimming, a sport her mother had competed in. Aged six, she was taken to swimming classes while the family holidayed in the Mornington Peninsula
. Leech was coached by Gus Froelich, a former European swimming champion and coach of Australian Olympic medallist Judy-Joy Davies
. After a difficult start, Leech improved in her second year. At the Victorian Championships, she showed her potential by setting a state record of 17.4 seconds (s) for the 25 yd freestyle in the under-8 division. The following year, she covered 25 yd in 15.7 s, three seconds faster than Davies had done at the same age. She progressed steadily, sweeping the state age titles from nine to 13, setting records that were often faster than those by boys of the same age.
Living in Bendigo and studying at Camp Hill Primary School, Leech could only travel three times a year to train with Froelich, so she relied heavily on dry land simulations, such as a pulley attached to the kitchen door. When she was 12, she covered 110 yd in 1 minute (min) 7.1 s, setting an unofficial world record for her age group. This achievement prompted her parents to rent an apartment in Melbourne, so she could train with Froelich on a regular basis. Leech moved there with her mother, while her father stayed to look after the family's jewellery business. From 1954, Leech attended St. Michael's Girls' Grammar School and trained with Froelich on a daily basis at the City Baths. The regular sessions paid off at the 1955 Victorian Championships; Leech won the open 110 yd and 220 yd freestyle in times of 1 min 7.2 s and 2 min 39.3 s respectively, setting state records in both events. She proceeded to the Australian Championships, winning the 110 yd freestyle in 1 min 7.6 s to become the youngest ever winner of an open title at the age of 13. Leech also won the national junior 110 yd and 220 yd events.
Leech's regimen differed from most swimmers because Froelich was not an advocate of distance training, and designed shorter workouts for his students. She trained once a day, swimming no more than 3 km (1.9 mi). Froelich did not push her to continue lapping when she felt tired, but emphasised an efficient stroke mechanism, which Leech implemented with a long and graceful arm action. Leech stood 180 cm (5.9 ft), but weighed only 57 kg (125.7 lb), with broad shoulders, slim hips and large hands and feet. Her long streamlined action prompted observers to call her a "flying fish". Spinal problems caused by a back misalignment prevented her from using the optimal flip turn preferred by freestyle swimmers. Instead, she was forced to utilise the touch turn, which was slower.
's world record. She then posted a time of 1 min 4.6 s to defeat Fraser and Lorraine Crapp
at another meeting in the following month.
Leech was named in the Olympic squad and the Australian Swimming Union
exempted her from travelling to the national training camp in Townsville so she could train with Froelich, who understood her special dietary requirements. She joined the squad for the final race trials in Melbourne in October before the Olympics. Fraser and Crapp were too strong in the 100 m, with Leech finishing second and third in the two races. After combining with Fraser, Crapp and Margaret Gibson to break the world record for the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, Leech was selected as one of Australia's three entrants in the 100 m freestyle entrants and one of six swimmers for the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay squad for the Olympics.
This pattern was repeated in the final. Fraser and Crapp were far ahead of the field, finishing in 1 min 2.0 s and 1 min 2.3 s respectively. Leech overtook the United States' Joan Rosazza in the final 25 m to take bronze in 1 min 5.1 s. The race for third place had been tight, with just 0.7 s separating Leech and the final finisher. The youngest swimmer in the field, Leech had come through to claim the last podium position. Leech said that it was an emotional occasion, having seen the Australian men take a trifecta in the corresponding event on the previous night of racing.
As the Australians boasted the three fastest swimmers in the individual 100 m event, they were clear favourites for the corresponding relay, especially as Fraser and Crapp were three seconds faster than all of the other swimmers. Leech was not assured of a place in the final quartet. In the heats, Fraser and Crapp were rested and the remaining four swimmers, Sandra Morgan
, Elizabeth Fraser, Gibson and Leech qualified the team. Leech swam the second leg in 1 min 5.9 s, the second fastest of the Australians, thereby securing her position in the final along with Sandra Morgan
, who recorded a time of 1 min 5.4 s. Australia won the second heat by 3.1 s to qualify quickest for the final. They were 1.8 and 2.3 s faster than South Africa
and the United States respectively, both of whom swam in the first heat. The selection of Leech and Morgan generated controversy. They were Australia's youngest swimmers and lacked experience at open level competition: Morgan had false started twice at the Australian Championships, and both had competed at national level only once.
In the final, Australia made a poor start; Fraser almost stopped when she heard a second gunshot, believing that a false start had occurred. She finished her leg in 1 min 4.0 s, two seconds slower than the world record she set in the individual 100 m final, but with a 2.3 s lead over the United States' Sylvia Ruuska
. Nevertheless, this meant that Australia had a smaller than expected advantage. Swimming the second leg, Leech maintained the lead in the first 50 m but faded in the second half and finished with a split of 1 min 5.1 s, with the Australian lead cut to 0.9 s. Even with the advantage of a flying start, Leech's leg was 0.4 s slower than her fastest time during the individual competition.
Morgan was then overhauled and passed by Nancy Simons
. With 25 m left, Morgan took her head out of the water, and seeing the American a bodylength in front, dug deep to reestablish a 0.7 s lead going into the final changeover. Crapp then extended the lead over the United States to 2.2 s to secure gold in a world record time of 4 min 17.1 s. The Melbourne Olympics was the only time that Australia has made a clean sweep of the 100 m freestyle and the relay events for both men and women. This feat has only been equalled by the Americans at the 1920 games
in Antwerp. The victory was Australia's only victory in a female swimming relay at the Olympics until the 2004 games
in Athens
.
as an unusual one; in addition to the large crowds and the pressure of an Olympics, it was the first time that she had been away from the family home. Physicians endorsed her decision to retire, feeling that she became too nervous prior to races. Leech briefly worked in Melbourne as a model, before returning to Bendigo to help run the family jewelry business. She took a leading role in the business after the death of her father in the 1970s, before handing control of the firm to her son.
Leech married Mitch Tuohy and had two sons, Adam and Troy, whom she discouraged from entering competitive swimming, fearing the pressure and strain of racing. In retirement, she shunned competitive sport, but maintained her fitness and athleticism. She taught swimming to disabled children, some of whom represented Australia at the Special Olympics
.
Leech continued her involvement with the Olympic movement through volunteer work. In July 1999, Leech and Australia's then-oldest man and World War I
veteran Jack Lockett
were the guests of honor at a countdown celebration to the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Bendigo in July 2000. In 2001, she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her neck, which was the size of a 50c coin. The tumor was removed in a seven-hour operation followed by six weeks of radiotherapy treatment. This experience prompted her to become a volunteer for the Cancer Council
and help those who were diagnosed with the disease. In February 2003, Leech phoned quadruple Olympic champion Betty Cuthbert
to comfort her during her recovery from a brain hemorrhage. In October 2006, Leech combined with 1956 teammate John Devitt
to launch "50 Years On—The Melbourne Olympics", a series of stamps from the Australia Post
.
Leech is an inductee of the Path of Champions at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
swimmer who won gold in the 4 × 100 metres (m) freestyle relay and bronze in the 100 m freestyle at the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
A tall and lean swimmer known for her elegant technique, Leech started swimming as a child to build strength after a series of eating disorders in her infancy. She quickly rose to prominence after breaking a string of age group records. In 1955, she became the youngest swimmer to win an Australian title, claiming victory in the 110 yd (100.6 m) at the age of 13. She twice broke the Australian record in the 100 yards (yd) freestyle in late 1955, thereby positioning herself as a leading contender for Olympic selection in 1956. Leech's preparation was hindered by illness, which forced her out of the 1956 Australian Championships, but she recovered to gain Olympic selection in both the 100 m freestyle and the corresponding relay. Leech produced a late surge to take bronze in the individual event and seal an Australian trifecta, before swimming the second leg in the relay to help secure an Australian victory in world record time. Leech retired after the Olympics at the age of 15; she cited anxiety caused by racing as one of the main factors in her decision.
Early years
The second child of Johnstone Melmore and Jessie Francis Leech, Leech was born in the inland regional VictorianVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
town of Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
in Australia. Leech was named Faith after her elder sister, who died from leukaemia at the age of two. A delicate child, Leech had an aversion to eating in the first two years of her life, so her mother fed her in small hourly doses. Leech was twice rushed from the family home to a Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
hospital. Conventional medicine failed to rectify Leech's dietary issues, so her mother put her on a fast for ten days at the recommendation of a naturopath. Leech was later placed on a diet of fruit, salad and vegetables, with an emphasis on beetroot and carrot juice.
Leech's health improved, but she remained slight and frail, with a double curvature of the back. In an effort to help her gain muscle control and confidence, her parents sent her to ballet, before trying swimming, a sport her mother had competed in. Aged six, she was taken to swimming classes while the family holidayed in the Mornington Peninsula
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...
. Leech was coached by Gus Froelich, a former European swimming champion and coach of Australian Olympic medallist Judy-Joy Davies
Judy-Joy Davies
Judy-Joy Davies was an Australian backstroke swimmer of the 1940s and 1950s, who won a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. At national level, she won 17 Australian Championships in freestyle, backstroke and medley swimming...
. After a difficult start, Leech improved in her second year. At the Victorian Championships, she showed her potential by setting a state record of 17.4 seconds (s) for the 25 yd freestyle in the under-8 division. The following year, she covered 25 yd in 15.7 s, three seconds faster than Davies had done at the same age. She progressed steadily, sweeping the state age titles from nine to 13, setting records that were often faster than those by boys of the same age.
Living in Bendigo and studying at Camp Hill Primary School, Leech could only travel three times a year to train with Froelich, so she relied heavily on dry land simulations, such as a pulley attached to the kitchen door. When she was 12, she covered 110 yd in 1 minute (min) 7.1 s, setting an unofficial world record for her age group. This achievement prompted her parents to rent an apartment in Melbourne, so she could train with Froelich on a regular basis. Leech moved there with her mother, while her father stayed to look after the family's jewellery business. From 1954, Leech attended St. Michael's Girls' Grammar School and trained with Froelich on a daily basis at the City Baths. The regular sessions paid off at the 1955 Victorian Championships; Leech won the open 110 yd and 220 yd freestyle in times of 1 min 7.2 s and 2 min 39.3 s respectively, setting state records in both events. She proceeded to the Australian Championships, winning the 110 yd freestyle in 1 min 7.6 s to become the youngest ever winner of an open title at the age of 13. Leech also won the national junior 110 yd and 220 yd events.
Leech's regimen differed from most swimmers because Froelich was not an advocate of distance training, and designed shorter workouts for his students. She trained once a day, swimming no more than 3 km (1.9 mi). Froelich did not push her to continue lapping when she felt tired, but emphasised an efficient stroke mechanism, which Leech implemented with a long and graceful arm action. Leech stood 180 cm (5.9 ft), but weighed only 57 kg (125.7 lb), with broad shoulders, slim hips and large hands and feet. Her long streamlined action prompted observers to call her a "flying fish". Spinal problems caused by a back misalignment prevented her from using the optimal flip turn preferred by freestyle swimmers. Instead, she was forced to utilise the touch turn, which was slower.
National selection
In August 1955, Leech set an Australian record of 1 min 5.0 s for the 110 yd freestyle, before lowering it to 1 min 4.8 s in October; this prompted newspapers to trumpet her as a prospect for the Melbourne Olympics. She did not get an opportunity to defend her Australian title in 1956 because she was hospitalised with illness. Leech recovered in time to win the national age title in the 100 m freestyle in a time of 1 min 4.6 s, just 0.1 s outside Dawn FraserDawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....
's world record. She then posted a time of 1 min 4.6 s to defeat Fraser and Lorraine Crapp
Lorraine Crapp
Lorraine Crapp is a former Olympic swimming champion representing Australia. She competed in two Olympic Games — the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics. She won two Olympic gold medals in 1956...
at another meeting in the following month.
Leech was named in the Olympic squad and the Australian Swimming Union
Swimming Australia
Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body currently has approximately 90,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers...
exempted her from travelling to the national training camp in Townsville so she could train with Froelich, who understood her special dietary requirements. She joined the squad for the final race trials in Melbourne in October before the Olympics. Fraser and Crapp were too strong in the 100 m, with Leech finishing second and third in the two races. After combining with Fraser, Crapp and Margaret Gibson to break the world record for the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, Leech was selected as one of Australia's three entrants in the 100 m freestyle entrants and one of six swimmers for the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay squad for the Olympics.
International career
Having arrived at the Olympics, Leech made her debut in the 100 m freestyle, an event in which she, Fraser and Crapp were regarded as the three strongest competitors, although the latter two were considered to be substantially stronger. All three won their heats. Leech won her heat by 1.6 s in a time of 1 min 4.9 s. She was third fastest qualifier behind Fraser and Crapp, who were over 1.5 s faster. Drawn in Fraser's semifinal, Leech finished second in a time of 1 min 5.2 s, and was the third fastest qualifier for the final behind her compatriots. The semifinals followed a similar pattern to the heats, with Fraser and Crapp more than two seconds ahead of the six remaining qualifiers, who were separated by just 0.8 s.This pattern was repeated in the final. Fraser and Crapp were far ahead of the field, finishing in 1 min 2.0 s and 1 min 2.3 s respectively. Leech overtook the United States' Joan Rosazza in the final 25 m to take bronze in 1 min 5.1 s. The race for third place had been tight, with just 0.7 s separating Leech and the final finisher. The youngest swimmer in the field, Leech had come through to claim the last podium position. Leech said that it was an emotional occasion, having seen the Australian men take a trifecta in the corresponding event on the previous night of racing.
As the Australians boasted the three fastest swimmers in the individual 100 m event, they were clear favourites for the corresponding relay, especially as Fraser and Crapp were three seconds faster than all of the other swimmers. Leech was not assured of a place in the final quartet. In the heats, Fraser and Crapp were rested and the remaining four swimmers, Sandra Morgan
Sandra Morgan
Sandra Anne Morgan is a former Australian freestyle swimmer, who won gold in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. At the age of 14 years and 6 months, she became the youngest Australian to win an Olympic gold medal, a record that still stands...
, Elizabeth Fraser, Gibson and Leech qualified the team. Leech swam the second leg in 1 min 5.9 s, the second fastest of the Australians, thereby securing her position in the final along with Sandra Morgan
Sandra Morgan
Sandra Anne Morgan is a former Australian freestyle swimmer, who won gold in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. At the age of 14 years and 6 months, she became the youngest Australian to win an Olympic gold medal, a record that still stands...
, who recorded a time of 1 min 5.4 s. Australia won the second heat by 3.1 s to qualify quickest for the final. They were 1.8 and 2.3 s faster than South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the United States respectively, both of whom swam in the first heat. The selection of Leech and Morgan generated controversy. They were Australia's youngest swimmers and lacked experience at open level competition: Morgan had false started twice at the Australian Championships, and both had competed at national level only once.
In the final, Australia made a poor start; Fraser almost stopped when she heard a second gunshot, believing that a false start had occurred. She finished her leg in 1 min 4.0 s, two seconds slower than the world record she set in the individual 100 m final, but with a 2.3 s lead over the United States' Sylvia Ruuska
Sylvia Ruuska
Sylvia Elina Ruuska is a retired medley and freestyle swimmer from the United States, who won two Olympic medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia when she was aged fourteen. She captured silver with the women's relay team in the 4x100 m freestyle and bronze in the individual 400...
. Nevertheless, this meant that Australia had a smaller than expected advantage. Swimming the second leg, Leech maintained the lead in the first 50 m but faded in the second half and finished with a split of 1 min 5.1 s, with the Australian lead cut to 0.9 s. Even with the advantage of a flying start, Leech's leg was 0.4 s slower than her fastest time during the individual competition.
Morgan was then overhauled and passed by Nancy Simons
Nancy Simons
Nancy Joan Simons-Peterson is a former American swimmer. She represented the United States as an eighteen-year-old at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where she won a silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay with Sylvia Ruuska, Shelley Mann, and Joan Alderson-Rosazza...
. With 25 m left, Morgan took her head out of the water, and seeing the American a bodylength in front, dug deep to reestablish a 0.7 s lead going into the final changeover. Crapp then extended the lead over the United States to 2.2 s to secure gold in a world record time of 4 min 17.1 s. The Melbourne Olympics was the only time that Australia has made a clean sweep of the 100 m freestyle and the relay events for both men and women. This feat has only been equalled by the Americans at the 1920 games
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
in Antwerp. The victory was Australia's only victory in a female swimming relay at the Olympics until the 2004 games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Retirement
Leech retired after the Olympics at the age of 15. She was the first person from Bendigo to win an Olympic medal and was feted upon returning to her hometown. She regarded the experience of living in the Olympic VillageOlympic Village
An Olympic Village is an accommodation centre built for an Olympic Games, usually within an Olympic Park or elsewhere in a host city. Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes, as well as officials, athletic trainers, and other staff. Since the Munich Massacre at the 1972...
as an unusual one; in addition to the large crowds and the pressure of an Olympics, it was the first time that she had been away from the family home. Physicians endorsed her decision to retire, feeling that she became too nervous prior to races. Leech briefly worked in Melbourne as a model, before returning to Bendigo to help run the family jewelry business. She took a leading role in the business after the death of her father in the 1970s, before handing control of the firm to her son.
Leech married Mitch Tuohy and had two sons, Adam and Troy, whom she discouraged from entering competitive swimming, fearing the pressure and strain of racing. In retirement, she shunned competitive sport, but maintained her fitness and athleticism. She taught swimming to disabled children, some of whom represented Australia at the Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
.
Leech continued her involvement with the Olympic movement through volunteer work. In July 1999, Leech and Australia's then-oldest man and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran Jack Lockett
Jack Lockett
John Henry "Jack" Lockett OAM , was a farmer and an Australian veteran of the First World War. At the time of his death, aged 111 years, 123 days, he was the oldest man in Australia...
were the guests of honor at a countdown celebration to the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Bendigo in July 2000. In 2001, she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her neck, which was the size of a 50c coin. The tumor was removed in a seven-hour operation followed by six weeks of radiotherapy treatment. This experience prompted her to become a volunteer for the Cancer Council
The Cancer Council Queensland
Cancer Council Queensland is Queensland's foremost anti-cancer organisation. It is an independent, community-based charity and is not government funded...
and help those who were diagnosed with the disease. In February 2003, Leech phoned quadruple Olympic champion Betty Cuthbert
Betty Cuthbert
Elizabeth Cuthbert AM, MBE is an Australian athlete, and a fourfold Olympic champion....
to comfort her during her recovery from a brain hemorrhage. In October 2006, Leech combined with 1956 teammate John Devitt
John Devitt
John Thomas Devitt was an Australian sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1960s, who won a gold medal in the 100 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He won in controversial circumstances, being awarded the gold medal despite the timekeepers recording a slower time than the silver medallist...
to launch "50 Years On—The Melbourne Olympics", a series of stamps from the Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
.
Leech is an inductee of the Path of Champions at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre
Sydney International Aquatic Centre
The Sydney International Aquatic Centre is a swimming venue in Sydney, Australia. For the 2000 Summer Olympics, it hosted the swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, the medal events for water polo, and the swimming portion of the modern pentathlon competitions...
.