Jon Henricks

Swimming

Jon's swimming career commenced at the age of eleven when he won a Cub Scout race at the Balmain Baths in 1946. With coaching from Mr. Sharp at Drummoyne Baths he placed in the New South Wales Combined High Schools 440 yard race in his first year of high school. His performance caught the eye of Harry Gallagher who introduced him to a modern training regimen. His team mates in that squad included Lorraine Crapp and subsequently Dawn Fraser.

By 1951 he was ranked in the top three in all distance events and won the 440 yards race at the Australian Nationals that year. Disappointed by not being selected for the Olympics in Helsinki he switched to sprints and won the State and National sprint titles in 1953 equalling the Olympic best. His performance was improved by the shave down technique conceived by his father Clyde Henricks. This was eventually adopted by all the Aussie swimmers.

For the next three years he dominated the world in 100m and 200m events winning in Japan, the US and at the Commonwealth Games, culminating with a win at the Olympics in 1956. After a tour of Scandinavia in the summer of 1957, he entered the University of Southern California and together with team mates Murray Rose Tom Winters and Lance Larson won the National indoor team title in 1958 and the National Collegiate team title in 1960 for that school.

His Olympic performance at Rome in 1960 was curtailed by illness. At a ceremony attended by teammates from both the US and Australian team in Rome he wed Bonnie Wilkie. They bought a home at Balmoral in 1969. Jon and Bonnie reside in the US but return to Balmoral every year.