Golden moment unexpected
Tomorrow it is 50 days until the 2012 London Olympic Games begin. Shayne Eldridge spoke to Hamilton’s Jack Doms who was the first New Zealander to win an individual swimming gold medal at a British Empire or Commonwealth Games
With no expectations of a place, let alone winning a gold medal, it appeared Hamilton’s Jack Doms entered the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver for the experience.
‘‘When the teams were picked the hierarchy was given in the big centres. Hamilton was just a borough,’’ Jack said.
There was no winter swimming in Hamilton at the time for him to train either so Jack would spend half the year living in Auckland.
He had to work too. During the summer Jack worked full-time at Booth & Chapman, and at Phillips & Impey in the winter while living in Auckland.
Hamilton people helped get Jack to Canada, donating money to pay for his trip.
‘‘It was a good investment in the end,’’ Jack said.
The hard work and training did pay off. Jack came back to Hamilton with two medals – gold for the 220 yards breaststroke and silver for the 330- yard medley relay with Frederick Lucas and Lincoln Hurring.
‘‘I came home with the gold medal and nobody in Auckland did,’’ he said. In fact, he was the only New Zealand swimmer to win a gold medal at the games and one of only seven gold medallists from the entire team.
A special ceremony was held in Hamilton on his return.
At 27, competing at that level in the pool was his last as Jack had his family to think about.
Two years earlier he had married Maureen Holman, who won the 1948, 440 yards New Zealand Ladies’ Championship, the first Waikato woman to do so.
The couple met in the swimming pool. ‘‘It took a while to blossom,’’ Jack said.
But they shared a love of sports and 60 years later, even though they aren’t able to be as active as they like, the still keep up with sport on television.
‘‘Anything sports orientated we take a look at,’’ Jack said.
Although he’s a swimmer at heart, Jack gave marathon running a go after a chance meeting Arthur Lydiard at a golf course.
Though he conceded he was never any good at marathons, he regularly competed in them.
For running in the Gold Coast marathon for 10 years he even won a car for the effort.
The couple are life members at the Hamilton Marathon Clinic and are regulars at the club’s weekly meets.