Bill O'Donnell

Bill O´Donnell finished second to Stan Clarke in the ASA 100 yards freestyle final in 1960 and later that year became the first person in Britain to swim 100 yards in under 50 seconds. Also in 1960, O´Donnell competed in the 100 metres freestyle at the Roma Olympics but was eliminated in his opening heat and was classified in 33rd position.

Despite never winning a senior ASA title, O´Donnell enjoyed two other podium finishes, in 1961 and 1962, when he finished second and third respectively in the 200 yards breaststroke final, won each time by Diana Wilkinson´s older brother Chris. Despite those two breaststroke finishes, O´Donnell was predominantly a freestyle swimmer and won the Northern Counties 100 yards title in the three successive years 1961-63. Shortly after failing to capture it for a fourth time in 1964, O´Donnell announced his retirement from competitive swimming at the age of 22, to take up the coaching of youngsters in the Manchester area.