Born in Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia, on 28 November 1881, Cecil Healy was one of the pioneers of competitive swimming and the only Australian Olympic Gold Medalist to lose their life in the World Wars.

Cecil emerged as an Australian swimming sensation in 1905 when he won both the state and 110 yards freestyle Australasian Championship in a world record-equalling time. Using what would become known as the “Australian Crawl”, Cecil’s stroke was unorthodox but effective.

After retaining the Australasian championship in 1906 he was one of just five Australians chosen to travel to Athens. After taking bronze in Athens he went on to tour Europe, winning the championships of England and Germany. Australasian champion in the 110-yard freestyle from 1908 to 1910, a lack of funds caused him to miss the 1908 London Games.

Cecil’s 1912 performances saw him selected to the Australasian team for that year’s Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.
He finished second behind American Dule Kahanamoku in the finals of the 100m freestyle. Cecil had successfully argued that the US team be allowed to compete after a management error had caused them to miss the semi-finals.

In the heats of the 400m freestyle, Cecil set a world record time but this was broken by his competitors in the final.

Finally, Cecil capped his Olympics career by providing the lead-off for the gold-medal-winning Australasian 4 x 200m freestyle relay.

After a European tour, in which he broke the world record for the 220-yard freestyle, Healy retired.

An accomplished surfer and water polo player, Cecil was a founder member of the Manly Surf Club and was awarded a medal from the Royal Humane Society for his role in saving many lives in the waters around Manly.

In 1915, Cecil volunteered for service with the Australian Defence Force and, after service in Egypt and France, was sent to England for officer training. 

Leading his men into battle for the first time, he was killed attempting to storm the machine-gun-defended German stronghold at Mont St Quentin. He is the only Australian gold medallist to have been killed in action.