Duncan Alexander Goodhew

Kristjan Laimets

Türi 2009

Duncan Goodhew

Duncan Alexander Goodhew (born May 27, 1957) is one of the most well-known British swimmers. He has won two Olympic medals for Great Britain in 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. In addition to that, he is also known for his several television appearances and motivational speeches. He has worked with several companies including Exxon, IBM, Prudential and many others.

Biography, part 1

A successful swimming athlete

Duncan Goodhew was born on May 27, 1957. He attended Millfield School. He made his Olympic debut in 1976 while still a studen. He finished seventh in 100m breaststroke, which was a good result. Duncan took part of the Commonwealth games in 1978 and won three silver medals. Later that year he competed at the World Championships, where he he finished fourth in both individual events and won a bronze medal in the medley relay. After that, he went training in an American University under the coach David Haller to prepare for the 1980 Olympic games. Moscow Olympic Games turned out to be a great success to him, as he won a gold and a bronze medal.

Biography, part 2

After Retiring from swimming, Duncan Goodhew has become a familiar media personality. He is known as an author and a motivational speaker. Because of his TV appearances, he is a relatively famous person in the British media.

Medals

     Bronze for 4x100m medley at 1977 European Championships Long Course in Jönköping Bronze for 4x100m medley at 1978 World Championships Long Course in Berlin Three silver medals at 1978 Edmonton Commonwealth Games (for 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke and 4x100m medley) Bronze for 4x100m medley at 1980 Moscow Olympic Games Gold for 100m breaststroke at 1980 Moscow Olympic Games

Motivational speaker

Duncan Goodhew is also famous for his motivational speeches. He addresses issues such as motivation and success. Since 1981 Duncan has presented over 200 motivational speeches to some of the Britain’s ompanies such as Exxon, Prudential, IBM and many others. Duncan Goodhew’s business experience stretches form arranging large sponsorship to corporate fundraising and business introductions.

He has also written books on the same topic, including “Sink or swim” and “Fix your life – now!”

Sink or swim

“Sink or swim: The Self-help Book for Men Who Never Read Them” is the title of a book written by Duncan Goodhew and Victoria Hislop. It is not about swimming, though, but motivation. Targeted at overworked, overstressed, insecure men needing a lifestyle review, the main topic of the book is how to get yourself motivated (and stay motivated) and also that success is an entirely individual matter. This can be applied to home and family as well as the work place and focuses on making sure you set your own criteria for achievement, rather that simply trying to meeting the expectations of other people - it redefines the nature of success, and how to achieve it.

Some facts

   Duncan Goodhew has

alopecia universalis

means total lack of hair, not just on head, but on whole body. It gives him a slight dynamic advantage in swimming, though.

which He was appointed an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to sport in 1981.

After the London protests during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay, Duncan Goodhew stated that the protests were "a bad example for children".

More facts

    His nickname at school was “Duncan the Dunce” because he was dyslexic.

Duncan's 100 m breaststroke gold medal achievement was ranked 99th in the British network Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002. In 1981 He represented Great Britain in the 2 and 4 Man Bobsleigh at the European Championships In 1994 he set up, with a donation of £1m from John Beckwith and a sponsorship of £1m, the immensely successful Youth Sport Trust, which now operates in every primary school in England and has secured a number of government contracts.

Filmography

Duncan Goodhew has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including:       "Children in Need" – Himself (1 episode, November 23, 1983) "The Adventure Game" – Himself (1 episode, 1984) “The Grand Knockout Tournament” – Himself (1987) "Important Astrology Experiment" – Himself (2 episodes, 2002) "A Question of Sport" –Mystery Guest (1 episode, 2004) “The Wright Stuff” – Guest Panelist (1 episode, 2005)

Summary

Duncan Goodhew, a multi-talented personality is considered a national hero in the UK. And rightfully so, because in 1980 many people shouted from joy when they saw Duncan taking the first place in the 100 m breaststroke.

And that’s not all. In addition to his sporting career, he is also known for his motivational speeches, work with several companies and his books.

His bald head and his smile make him easily recognizable.

Used literature

      http://www.normanphillips.co.uk/duncan_goodh ew_bio.htm http://www.gordonpoole.com/?artistID=525 http://www.sports reference.com/olympics/athletes/go/duncan goodhew-1.html https://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BOD

Y=viewbook&BOOK=196599&v=synopsis http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0328921/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Goodhew