Swimming: legendary Australia coach Don Talbot has died - france 24

Sydney (AFP)

Former Australia swimming team coach Don Talbot, who notably helped his country win 18 medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, died peacefully on Tuesday aged 87, Sport Australia Hall of Fame reported. .

Former Australian Swimming Federation President John Bertrand hailed a "magician trainer" who "changed the way we think about high performance sport".

Don Talbot began his coaching career in the 1950s and was head of the Australian swimming team during the country's golden age in the discipline, from the 1990s to 2000s, revealing champions like Ian Thorpe or Grant Hackett.

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Australia finished second in swimming events behind the United States, with five gold, nine silver and four bronze.

Under his leadership, Australia finished at the top of the medal table (23, including 13 gold) at the 2001 Worlds in Fukuoka, Japan, for the first time in its history.

He has also practiced in Canada and the United States.

© 2020 AFP