Master coach dead at 87

Swimming: Tributes flowed yesterday following the death of former Australia coach Don Talbot, who helped rebuild the nation as a global powerhouse in the sport. He was 87.

Talbot first took charge of the team in the 1960s but his biggest successes came when he returned to the role in 1989 after stints in Canada and the United States, and as the first head of the Australian Institute of Sport.

He drove the Australian team to success through the 1990s and early 2000s with his swimmers capturing 18 medals, five of them gold, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. — Reuters