TRIBUTE TO A LEGEND
Hewas the boy who learnt to swim at small town pools in North Queensland. Jon Sieben started to swim at the Herbert River Swimming Club and then the Innisfail Red Devils Swimming Squad.
He was only 17 when he caused one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history in winning the gold medal in the 200m butterfly.
It was at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles when Sieben swam down the man they called “The Albatross” – West German superstar Michael Gross in the fastest 200m butterfly field at that time.
Considered to be one of the greatest swim races in history, Sieben set a world record time of 1:57.04, including a final 50m split of 29.24, to claim gold in the men’s 200m butterfly, overcoming Gross.
The West German with a 2.1m wingspan was the heavy favourite to capture the gold medal as he was the world record holder and reigning world champion.
Gross lead for the majority of the race and was in front at each of the turns.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Rafael Vidal was second and with a lap to go was almost a second ahead of Sieben.
Heading into the last lap, Sieben swimming in lane six, was ignored by the announcing team but stayed strong as he consistently reduced the deficit to the lead.
As the wall neared, Gross was clearly struggling and Sieben managed to nail the finish, producing a world record time of 1:57.04.
Sieben dropped a split of 29.24 for the final 50m, a mark that was more than two seconds clear of the 31.39 of Gross and a second faster than Vidal, who ended up capturing the bronze medal.
The race was a career-defining victory for the Queenslander and a tribute to the enormous amount of hard work he had put in under coach Laurie Lawrence.
Sieben’s world record time of 1:57.04 remained unbroken until 2013. It is still ranked as the eight fastest in history and one of the longest held Australian records – being broken 27 years later.
It was one of the most remarkable swims in Australian history and it was a win that made many Australians believe they could achieve anything.
Sieben, who lives in Townsville with wife Maria and their two sons, admits the day he won the Olympic medal in Los Angeles was a day in his life he would never forget.
He conceded it took many years of hard work and determination to get to that day.
The Olympic swimming legend has recently been inducted into the North
Queensland Sports Foundation Hall of Fame.
Sieben joins North Queensland sporting greats Cathy Freeman, Karrie Webb AM,
Pat Rafter, Tom Gorman and his old coach and mentor, Laurie Lawrence, as Hall of
Fame inductees.
“I always consider myself a North Queensland boy, so to be inducted into the North Queensland Sports Foundation Hall of Fame is an enormous privilege and something I will always treasure,” Sieben said. “Especially as I am alongside my old coach and great friend Laurie Lawrence.”
This is a second induction for Sieben in two months, having recently returned from the US where he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Not only did he win gold in the 200m Butterfly at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, he represented Australia at the
1988 Olympics in Seoul and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
He was named Young Australian of the Year in 1984 and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1995.
Sieben is a current board member of North Queensland Sports Foundation Hall of Fame and continues to make a huge contribution to the development of swimming and all sports in the North Queensland region.
To be inducted into the North Queensland Sports Foundation Hall of Fame is an enormous privilege and something I will always treasure