Personal information | |
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Born | 21 April 1943 |
Sport | |
Sport | Swimming |
Alfred Grixti (born 21 April 1943) is a Maltese former swimmer. He competed in the men's 100 metre freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics, where he was eliminated after finishing last in his heat. [1]
During his swimming career Grixti was National champion in four different events over a number of years and the highlight was competing at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. [2]
Grixti's other passion was water polo, and was classed as the undisputed best ever water polo player ever for his country, his career spanned over 20 years and won every major honour possible in his country, he made his division one debut when he was just 13 years old, [3] he was a prolific goal scorer and an all rounder who read the game better than anyone, he represented his country at the 1963 Mediterranean Games held in Naples, and then 12 years later he captained his country at the 1975 Mediterranean Games held in Algiers, Algeria. [2] After quitting as a player he carried on coaching for several years for Birzebbuga A.S.C. and Birzebbuga A.S.C. [3]
In 1965 and 1972 Grixti was voted Sportsman of the Year in Malta, [3] and in 2005, he was inducted in to the Hall of Fame of the Malta Olympic Committee. [3]
Grixti is married to Pauline, who was also a water polo player and they had four children. [3]
Alfréd Hajós was a Hungarian swimmer, football (soccer) player, referee, manager, and career architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion and the first Olympic champion of Hungary. Formerly excelling in track including discus and hurdles, he was part of the first National European football/soccer team fielded by Hungary in 1902, later serving as manager, referee, and coach.
Cesare Rubini was an Italian professional basketball player and coach, and a water polo player. He was considered to be one of the greatest European basketball coaches of all time, Rubini was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994, making him the first, and to this day, just one of three Italian basketball figures to receive such an honour, alongside Dino Meneghin and Sandro Gamba. He was also inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2000.
Tamás Molnár is a Hungarian former water polo player, who played on the gold medal squads at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics. He is one of ten male athletes who won three Olympic gold medals in water polo. He made his debut for the national team in 1997, and was named Hungarian Water Polo Player of the Year in 1998.
Péter Biros is a Hungarian former water polo player, who played on the gold medal squads at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics, which makes him one of six male athletes who won three Olympic gold medals in water polo. He also competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Heather Danielle Petri is an American water polo player, who won the silver medal with the US women's national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, a silver medal in Beijing in 2008 and the gold medal in London 2012. She is one of four female players who competed in water polo at four Olympics; and one of two female athletes who won four Olympic medals in water polo. Her position is attacker.
Water polo has been part of the Summer Olympics program since the second games, in 1900. A women's water polo tournament was introduced for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Hungary has been the most successful country in men's tournament, while the United States is the only team to win multiple times at the women's tournament since its introduction. Italy is the first and only country to win both the men's and women's water polo tournaments.
Igor Milanović is a Serbian professional water polo head coach and former player. He is considered one of the best water polo players of all time. Milanović had an illustrious professional career spanning twenty years.
Otto Wahle was an Austrian-American swimmer who took part in two Summer Olympic Games and won a total of three medals. Wahle coached the men's US swim team at the 1912 Olympics, and the men's US water polo team at the 1920 and 1924 Olympics.
Mirko Sandić was a Serbian water polo player who led Yugoslav teams to a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. He also competed in the 1960 and 1972 Olympics where his teams placed fourth and fifth, respectively. He was given the honour to carry the national flag of Yugoslavia at the opening ceremony of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, becoming the twelfth water polo player to be a flag bearer at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Between 1958 and 1974 Sandić played more than 235 matches for the Yugoslav national team contributing 250 goals.
Paolo Francesco Radmilovic was a Welsh water polo player and competitive swimmer. Radmilovic had Croatian and Irish origins. He represented Great Britain at four editions of Summer Olympics. He won four Olympic titles in a 22-year Olympic career. He won four gold medals across three successive Olympic Games, a record which stood for a Great Britain Olympic athlete until broken by Sir Steve Redgrave when he won his fifth gold medal at Sydney in 2000. In 1928, he became the first person to compete for Britain at five Olympic Games, a record that would remain until surpassed by fencer Bill Hoskyns in 1976.
Charles Sydney Smith was born in Wigan, the ninth of eleven children born to Thomas Smith and Elizabeth née Sayer. He was a British water polo player who competed as goalkeeper for the England Water Polo team which won gold medals in the London games of 1908, and the Stockholm games of 1912. After the Great War he returned, at the age of 44, as part of the Great Britain team to win a third gold medal at the Antwerp games in 1920. He was still in the team four years later competing in the Paris games of 1924 where the team was knocked out in the first round by the Hungarian team after extra time.
Ronald "Ron" Duane Severa is an American water polo player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
György Kárpáti was a Hungarian water polo player who competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics, 1956 Summer Olympics, 1960 Summer Olympics, and 1964 Summer Olympics. He is one of eight male athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo, and one of ten male athletes who won three Olympic gold medals in water polo.
Mihály Mayer was a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics, 1960 Summer Olympics, 1964 Summer Olympics, and in the 1968 Summer Olympics. He is one of eight male athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo.
András Bodnár is a former Hungarian water polo player and freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics, 1964 Summer Olympics, 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics. He is one of eight male athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo.
Terry Alan Schroeder, DC is an American former water polo player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics, in the 1988 Summer Olympics, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Schroeder is a chiropractor, practicing in Agoura Hills, California. He is a 1986 graduate of Palmer Chiropractic College – West where he met his wife, Lori Schroeder. They have two daughters. He is currently the head water polo coach at Pepperdine University, and has been since 2013. He also coached at Pepperdine from 1986–2005, but left to become the head coach for the United States Olympic team before returning to Pepperdine.
Anton Ludwig "Tony" van Dorp was a Dutch-American water polo goalkeeper. He was born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies, to Dutch parents and played in the Netherlands and for the Dutch national team until 1963. However, since 1957 he lived most of the time in the United States and had the US citizenship. Thus he competed in the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics for the United States. He then played for the club Phillips 66, Long Beach, and became AAU All-American in 1964–68. In 1967, his team won the Pan American Games where he stopped 50% of penalty shots and was named the outstanding goalkeeper of the tournament. Beside water polo, he served for 21 years as an air traffic controller with the US Air Force in the US, Germany, and Vietnam.
Christopher Dowling was a Maltese swimmer. He competed in the men's 100 metre freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
John Andrew Ferguson is a British water polo player. He spent his career playing for his hometown side Motherwell and competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics and the 1956 Summer Olympics. After retiring from playing, he coached the British national side for four years.