Graham Sykes

Graham Sykes was Britain’s top male backstroke swimmer of the late fifties and early sixties. Originally an engineer with the Standard Motor Company he competed internationally competition between 1956 and 1962 with his career highlight being a victory in the 110 yards backstroke at the 1962 British Empire Games in Australia. He also won an Empire Games bronze with the English medley relay team in 1958 and silver in the same event in 1962.

His best Olympic performance came in 1956 where he finished sixth in the 100m backstroke final and failed narrowly to reach the final of that event in 1962. Sykes was captain of the British swimming team for the Roma Olympics and swam the lead-off leg for the medley relay team that took seventh place. He won seven British titles at 110 and 220 yards and was national record holder at 100y, 110y and 100m.

Sykes retired from international competition in 1962 though he continued to compete at regional level and continued his involvement with the sport as an official for many years. He later helped to develop the SportSystems race management software system.