Michelle Ford
Encyclopedia
Michelle Jan Ford MBE
(born 15 July 1962 in Sydney
) was an Australia
n long distance freestyle
and butterfly swimmer of the 1970s and 1980s, who won a gold medal in the 800 m freestyle at the 1980 Summer Olympics
in Moscow
. She was the only non Soviet bloc female swimmer to win an individual gold medal at the boycott-marred games. She also set two world records in her career, and was the first Australian woman to win individual Olympic medals in two distinct specialized strokes.
Ford, the third of four children grew up in the seaside Sydney
suburb of Sans Souci
, familiar with water, as her father Ian, a dentist, had narrowly missed Olympic selection as a yachtsman
. After learning to swim at the age of 6, she made national headlines when she swam the 100yd freestyle in 61.5s, at the age of 12, the fastest time ever set by a swimmer at such an age.
In January 1976, at the New South Wales
Age Championships, at the North Sydney
pool, she broke six state and three national records at the age of 13, two of which had previously been held by triple Olympic gold medallist Shane Gould
. She proceeded to compete at the Australian Championships, where she won the 200 m butterfly, despite standing only 140 cm, setting another national record in the process. Another strong performance in the 200 m freestyle lead to selection for both events for the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal
. After a seven week national training camp, she competed in her first Olympic race in the 200 m freestyle, where her competition included the eventual champion, Kornelia Ender
of East Germany. She was eliminated in the semifinals of the 200 m freestyle. Her time of 2 m 18.24 in the 200 m butterfly, 2s outside here Australian record, saw her eliminated in the semifinals also.
After the Olympics, Ford scaled her training back in order to catch up on her studies at St George Girls High School. On the advice of her coach, she began to concentrate on distance freestyle swimming, and in 1977 set an Australian record in the 400 m freestyle at the NSW Age Championships, before setting another national record at the Australian Championships in the 800 m freestyle, as well as winning the 200 m freestyle. The following year in 1978, at the KB international meet in Brisbane
, she broke the 800 m freestyle record of East Germany's Petra Thumer
by 0.18s, setting a new time of 8 m 35.04s, lowering her own national record by 10s. She also set another Australian record in the 200 m butterfly. A fortnight later, Ford lowered her record to 8 m 31.30s, but it did not last long. At the 1978 Australian Championships, Tracey Wickham
lowered the world record to 8 m 30.53s, and defeated Ford in the 200 m and 400 m events also.
At the 1978 Commonwealth Games
in Edmonton
, Ford swam the 800 m freestyle in 8 m 25.62s, only to find that Wickham had broken the world record in a time of 8 m 24.62s, to relegated her to silver. Wickham again restricted Ford to silver in the 400 m freestyle, while in the 200 m event, they had to be content with silver and bronze respectively. She won gold in the 200 m butterfly and a bronze in the 4x100 m freestyle relay.
In 1979, Ford missed the Australian Championships in order to concentrate on her final year of high school, leaving Wickham to easily win the 200 m, 400 m and 800 m freestyle. However, at the Soviet Spartakiad Games later in the year, she won three golds in the 200 m butterfly and 400 m and 800 m freestyle. She then moved to Nashville, Tennessee
, United States
to train and compete under Don Talbot
on the American domestic circuit. Ford won the 800 m and the 1500 m freestyle , and was second in the 200 m and 400 m freestyle behind Wickham at the 1980 Australian Championships to gain selection for the Moscow
Olympics. Wickham later withdrew under public pressure from the Government of Australia
, particularly Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser
, who as the patron of the Australian Olympic Committee
to boycott the Games in protest of the Soviet Union
's invasion of Afghanistan
.
Ford chose to attend the games, competing in the 200 m butterfly and the 400 m and 800 m freestyle. She qualified third fastest in the 400 m freestyle, but the strategy undertaken by the East German trio coaxed her into deviating from her pre-race plan. She finished fourth. Later in the 200 m butterfly, she qualified fastest, ahead of East Germany's Andrea Pollack
and Ines Geißler
. In the final the East Germans turned the tables, with Geissler and Sybille Schonrock
leading Ford home into the bronze medal position. In her final event, the 800 m freestyle, Ford had qualified behind another East German, Ines Diers
. Ford made a slow start, lying in seventh at the 100 m mark before snatching the lead from Diers at the 200 m mark and extending it to a 3.65s victory.
After returning to Australia, Ford attempted to break the 16 m barrier in the 1500 m freestyle, but was thwarted, firstly by a timing failure, then by New South Wales
who did not want her to make her second attempt in Queensland
and finally disqualification on her third attempt for incorrectly withdrawing from a previous race. Frustrated, she retired from swimming in 1981.
She returned 9 months later in 1982, but selectors overlooked her for the 1982 World Aquatics Championships
in Ecuador
. She moved to train in the United States
at the Industry Hills Aquatic Club
in the City of Industry, California
before returning for the 1982 Commonwealth Games
selection trials. Despite coming fifth and sixth in the 800 m freestyle and 200 m butterfly, selectors picked her on the basis of previous performance. At the Games in Brisbane
, she collected gold and silver in the 200 m butterfly and 800 m freestyle respectively.
In 1983, Ford accepted a scholarship at the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles
, and commenced a degree in communication, while training for the 1984 Summer Olympics
to be held there the following year. The Australian Swimming Union had changed the selection policy so that the top two placegetters in each event would be selected in for the Olympic team, and when Ford returned overweight and swam well outside her best, she missed selection. She later returned to USC and swum much faster times than were recorded at the Australian Championships, but officials refused her official dispensation, forcing her into international retirement.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 15 July 1962 in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
) was an Australia
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 long distance 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...
and butterfly swimmer of the 1970s and 1980s, who won a gold medal in the 800 m freestyle at the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. She was the only non Soviet bloc female swimmer to win an individual gold medal at the boycott-marred games. She also set two world records in her career, and was the first Australian woman to win individual Olympic medals in two distinct specialized strokes.
Ford, the third of four children grew up in the seaside Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Sans Souci
Sans Souci, New South Wales
Sans Souci is a southern Sydney suburb in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sans Souci is 17 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Rockdale and the Municipality of Kogarah. It is part of the St George area.Sans...
, familiar with water, as her father Ian, a dentist, had narrowly missed Olympic selection as a yachtsman
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
. After learning to swim at the age of 6, she made national headlines when she swam the 100yd freestyle in 61.5s, at the age of 12, the fastest time ever set by a swimmer at such an age.
In January 1976, at the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Age Championships, at the North Sydney
North Sydney, New South Wales
North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney...
pool, she broke six state and three national records at the age of 13, two of which had previously been held by triple Olympic gold medallist Shane Gould
Shane Gould
Shane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...
. She proceeded to compete at the Australian Championships, where she won the 200 m butterfly, despite standing only 140 cm, setting another national record in the process. Another strong performance in the 200 m freestyle lead to selection for both events for the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. After a seven week national training camp, she competed in her first Olympic race in the 200 m freestyle, where her competition included the eventual champion, Kornelia Ender
Kornelia Ender
Kornelia Ender is a former East German swimmer who at the 1976 Summer Olympics became the first woman swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games, all in world record times...
of East Germany. She was eliminated in the semifinals of the 200 m freestyle. Her time of 2 m 18.24 in the 200 m butterfly, 2s outside here Australian record, saw her eliminated in the semifinals also.
After the Olympics, Ford scaled her training back in order to catch up on her studies at St George Girls High School. On the advice of her coach, she began to concentrate on distance freestyle swimming, and in 1977 set an Australian record in the 400 m freestyle at the NSW Age Championships, before setting another national record at the Australian Championships in the 800 m freestyle, as well as winning the 200 m freestyle. The following year in 1978, at the KB international meet in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, she broke the 800 m freestyle record of East Germany's Petra Thumer
Petra Thümer
Petra Thümer is a former swimmer from East Germany. She won gold medals in the 400 m and 800 m freestyle at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.-References:...
by 0.18s, setting a new time of 8 m 35.04s, lowering her own national record by 10s. She also set another Australian record in the 200 m butterfly. A fortnight later, Ford lowered her record to 8 m 31.30s, but it did not last long. At the 1978 Australian Championships, Tracey Wickham
Tracey Wickham
Tracey Lee Wickham MBE OAM is an Australian former middle distance world champion swimmer. Despite her success in the pool, Wickham has battled financial hardship and personal tragedy throughout her life....
lowered the world record to 8 m 30.53s, and defeated Ford in the 200 m and 400 m events also.
At the 1978 Commonwealth Games
1978 Commonwealth Games
The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec...
in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Ford swam the 800 m freestyle in 8 m 25.62s, only to find that Wickham had broken the world record in a time of 8 m 24.62s, to relegated her to silver. Wickham again restricted Ford to silver in the 400 m freestyle, while in the 200 m event, they had to be content with silver and bronze respectively. She won gold in the 200 m butterfly and a bronze in the 4x100 m freestyle relay.
In 1979, Ford missed the Australian Championships in order to concentrate on her final year of high school, leaving Wickham to easily win the 200 m, 400 m and 800 m freestyle. However, at the Soviet Spartakiad Games later in the year, she won three golds in the 200 m butterfly and 400 m and 800 m freestyle. She then moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to train and compete under Don Talbot
Don Talbot
Don Talbot OBE is an Olympic swimming coach from Australia. He has coached national teams for Canada and Australia.-Canada:Since the 1950s Talbot has coached Olympic champions and World Record holders for a thirty year period...
on the American domestic circuit. Ford won the 800 m and the 1500 m freestyle , and was second in the 200 m and 400 m freestyle behind Wickham at the 1980 Australian Championships to gain selection for the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Olympics. Wickham later withdrew under public pressure from the Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
, particularly Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
, who as the patron of the Australian Olympic Committee
Australian Olympic Committee
The Australian Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee in Australia for the Olympic Games movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds to send Australian competitors to Olympic events organised by the International Olympic Committee .-Background:The...
to boycott the Games in protest of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Ford chose to attend the games, competing in the 200 m butterfly and the 400 m and 800 m freestyle. She qualified third fastest in the 400 m freestyle, but the strategy undertaken by the East German trio coaxed her into deviating from her pre-race plan. She finished fourth. Later in the 200 m butterfly, she qualified fastest, ahead of East Germany's Andrea Pollack
Andrea Pollack
Andrea Pollack is a former butterfly swimmer from East Germany, who won two gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada at age fifteen. She won individual 200 m butterfly and with the women's relay team in the 4×100 m medley...
and Ines Geißler
Ines Geißler
Ines Geißler is a former butterfly swimmer from East Germany, who won the gold medal in the 200 m butterfly at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union.-References:*...
. In the final the East Germans turned the tables, with Geissler and Sybille Schonrock
Sybille Schönrock
Sybille Schönrock is a former butterfly swimmer from East Germany. At age fifteen she won the silver medal in the women's 200m butterfly at the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR.-References:*...
leading Ford home into the bronze medal position. In her final event, the 800 m freestyle, Ford had qualified behind another East German, Ines Diers
Ines Diers
Ines Diers is a former freestyle swimmer from East Germany. At age sixteen she won a total number of five medals at the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR.-References:*...
. Ford made a slow start, lying in seventh at the 100 m mark before snatching the lead from Diers at the 200 m mark and extending it to a 3.65s victory.
After returning to Australia, Ford attempted to break the 16 m barrier in the 1500 m freestyle, but was thwarted, firstly by a timing failure, then by New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
who did not want her to make her second attempt in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and finally disqualification on her third attempt for incorrectly withdrawing from a previous race. Frustrated, she retired from swimming in 1981.
She returned 9 months later in 1982, but selectors overlooked her for the 1982 World Aquatics Championships
1982 World Aquatics Championships
The 1982 World Aquatics Championships took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador between July 29 and August 8, 1982 with 848 participating athletes.- Medals table :-Diving:MenWomen-Swimming:MenWomen-Synchronised swimming:-Water polo:Men...
in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. She moved to train in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the Industry Hills Aquatic Club
Industry Hills Aquatic Club
The Industry Hills Aquatic Club ' was a prominent USA Swimming club located in the City of Industry, California, from 1979 until August 2005. For almost three decades, the Club was a successful training ground for a considerable number of athletes, some achieving success at the highest levels of...
in the City of Industry, California
Industry, California
Industry is an industrial suburb of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County. Home to over 2,500 businesses and 80,000 jobs, but only 219 residents at the 2010 census - down from 777 residents as of the 2000 United States census - the city is almost entirely industrial...
before returning for the 1982 Commonwealth Games
1982 Commonwealth Games
The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...
selection trials. Despite coming fifth and sixth in the 800 m freestyle and 200 m butterfly, selectors picked her on the basis of previous performance. At the Games in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, she collected gold and silver in the 200 m butterfly and 800 m freestyle respectively.
In 1983, Ford accepted a scholarship at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and commenced a degree in communication, while training for the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
to be held there the following year. The Australian Swimming Union had changed the selection policy so that the top two placegetters in each event would be selected in for the Olympic team, and when Ford returned overweight and swam well outside her best, she missed selection. She later returned to USC and swum much faster times than were recorded at the Australian Championships, but officials refused her official dispensation, forcing her into international retirement.