Swimming career
Although Downie was born in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, his father was Scottish [2] and he swam for Great Britain, Scotland, and the Warrender Baths Club in Edinburgh. [3] [4] While attending the University of Michigan on an athletics scholarship, he swam for the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team in collegiate competition. [5] [6]
Downie represented Great Britain at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia where he broke the Scottish record for the 200-metre freestyle. [3] The next year he represented Scotland at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand. In 1975 he swam for Scotland at the 8-nations tournament in Prague, Czechoslovakia. [3] and won a silver medal at the 1975 World Championships in Cali, Colombia as part of the British 4x200-metre freestyle relay with Alan McClatchey, Gary Jameson, and Brian Brinkley. At the same championships he won a bronze medal as part of the British 4x100-metre medley relay with David Wilkie, James Carter and Brian Brinkley. [7] Apart from winning his bronze medal, he was sixth in the 200-metre freestyle at the 1976 Montreal Olympics when he set a British record that stood for six years. [8] He swam in the 1977 European Aquatics Championships in Jönköping, Sweden, and represented Scotland in the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. [2] [3] [6] Downie held both the Scottish 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle records for 10 years from 1972 to 1982. [8]
He won the 1975 ASA National Championship 100 metres freestyle title, the 1979 200 metres freestyle and the 400 metres freestyle in 1977. [9] [10]
Downie was inducted into the Scottish Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014. [8]
Great Britain
Scotland
