Neil Brooks (born 27 July 1962) is an Australian former sprint freestyle swimmer best known for winning the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow as part of the Quietly Confident Quartet. Brooks was as much known for his swimming achievements as he was for disciplinary incidents, and he often found himself in conflict with officialdom and threatened with sanctions.
Born in England, Brooks emigrated to Australia as a toddler and started swimming lessons after nearly drowning in a childhood accident. After initially being known for his lack of technique, Brooks quickly rose through the youth ranks. Brooks made his debut at the Australian Championships in 1976, but it was not until 1979 that he medalled at national level and made his debut for Australia at a FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) Swimming World Cup meet. In 1980, he gained prominence by breaking the Australian record in the 100 m freestyle and being invited to a national team camp. There he had his first clash with officialdom, walking out after accusing the officials of neglecting him. He then qualified for the Australian team for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, defying political pressure to boycott the Games in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Arriving in Moscow, Brooks' experience in the 100 m freestyle was an unpleasant one, suffering an asthma attack and missing the final. The peak of his swimming career came in the 4 × 100 m medley relay, when he caught and passed the Soviet Union's Sergey Kopliakov during the anchor leg to seal a narrow victory for Australia. This victory remains the only time that the United States did not win the event at Olympic level.
Following the Olympics, Brooks was expelled from the Australian Institute of Sport by Don Talbot for disciplinary reasons. He accepted a swimming scholarship at the University of Arkansas, where he enjoyed the more liberal disciplinary standards. He returned to Australia for the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and again raised the ire of officials during a preparatory training camp. After lobbying for improved accommodation conditions, Brooks was involved in a physical altercation with the team manager. As a result, he was given a suspension that was to take effect after the Commonwealth Games. However, his teammates protested and threatened to walk out, resulting in the ban being rescinded. Despite the turbulent preparation, Brooks had a successful meet, winning the 100 m freestyle and anchoring the 4 × 100 m freestyle and medley relays to gold medals. Brooks competed at his second Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984 Games, where he won silver in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay and bronze for swimming the heats of the medley relay.
Brooks' international career ended at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh with silver in the 100 m freestyle and gold in the freestyle relay, after which he was suspended for drinking 46 cans of beer on the return flight to Australia. In retirement, he became a news presenter and sports commentator, but was sacked in 1999 after a string of incidents amidst an alcohol addiction. Later in life he faced a number of legal issues.
NeilBrooks (born 27 July 1962) is an Australian former sprint freestyle swimmer best known for winning the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 1980 Olympics...
Brooks – Box Office Data Movie Star at The Numbers Mel Brooks at IMDb Mel Brooks at Virtual-History.com (Photographs and Books) Topic: Mel Brooks's channel...
on 2013-01-15. Linda McQuaig and NeilBrooks, "Excerpt: The Trouble with Billionaires by Linda McQuaig and NeilBrooks" Archived 2010-11-17 at the Wayback...
the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018. Linda McQuaig, NeilBrooks (2012). Billionaires' Ball: Gluttony and Hubris in an Age of Epic Inequality...
been disputed. For example, a 2005 study by Osgoode Hall Law Professor NeilBrooks argued that the Fraser Institute's Tax Freedom Day analysis includes...
Trevor Neil "Bruno" Brookes (born 1959 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English former radio presenter who became prominent on British radio in...
February 8, 2022. Brooks, Xan (September 17, 2003). "The good, the bad and the Shakey". The Guardian. Retrieved February 8, 2022. "Neil Young Lyrics Analysis:...
Australian gold since 1972 came in the 4 × 100 men's medley relay, with NeilBrooks swimming the final leg, the Australians swam the second-fastest time...
refer to: Harry J. Brooks (1903–1928), American test pilot, so called by Henry Ford Louise Brooks (1906-1985), American actress NeilBrooks (born 1962), Australian...
TNT drama, Animal Kingdom. Brooks made his feature film debut in the 2023 horror film, Thanksgiving. Jalen Thomas Brooks was born on October 11, 2001...
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same...
Neil was joined by Pete Childs on guitar, John Sebastian on harmonica, and Harvey Brooks on bass. The second album was more fully arranged, with Neil...
Neil Morrissey and Charlie Brooks to guest star in series three of The Dumping Ground". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2016. "RUSSELL HOWARD, NEIL MORRISSEY...
Joseph Heller and Ken Auletta, the producer Mel Brooks, the singer Neil Diamond and the songwriter Neil Sedaka." Enten, Harry [@ForecasterEnten] (August...
p. 52. Brooks 1982, p. 44. Brooks 1982, p. 27. Brooks 1982, p. 29. Brooks 1982, p. 25. Brooks 1982, pp. 25, 29. Brooks 1982, pp. 33–40. Brooks 1982, p...
Travis NeilBrooks OAM (born 16 July 1980 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a field hockey forward from Australia, who won the gold medal with the Men's National...
State University Press. ISBN 0-8142-1036-8. p. 252. McQuaig, Linda; Neil, Brooks (2013). Billionaires' Ball: Gluttony and Hubris in an Age of Epic Inequality...
he claimed silver behind Brooks.[citation needed] In Los Angeles, he competed only in the relay, combining with Delaney, Brooks and Mark Stockwell to claim...
are ones by Adele, Michael Bolton, Neil Diamond, Elkie Brooks, Boy George, Bryan Ferry, Joan Osborne, Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson with Ben Platt, Nick...
Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (/ˈɡeɪmən/; born Neil Richard Gaiman on 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic...
lawyer and politician 1961 – Ed Orgeron, American football coach 1962 – NeilBrooks, Australian swimmer 1962 – Karl Mueller, American bass player (d. 2005)...
Patrick Cremin is a British actor who is best known for playing NeilBrooks in Families, Brian Meade in EastEnders, The Bill, Hustle, Heartbeat, Silent...
power. In The Trouble with Billionaires (2010), McQuaig and co-author NeilBrooks, a professor of tax policy at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, examined...
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