Tony Turner

Tony Turner first showed his promise as a 17-year-old in the 1950 ASA Diving Championships when he put defending champion Peter Heatly under pressure in the 3-mtres springboard final, before Heatly retained his title and Turner finished third. Shortly afterwards, Turner won the Southern Counties springboard title and was called up for his international début against Germany.

In 1951 Turner dethroned Heatly as national 3-metre champion and, after winning an Olympic qualifying competition, Turner was selected for the 1952 Olympics. He went to the Helsinki Games as the first Englishman to win all three titles (Platform, and 1- and 3-metre springboard) in one year. At the Olympics he finished seventh in the springboard event and 19th in the platform. A month after the Olympics, Turner finished seventh, again, in the springboard event at the European Championships in Milano.

Turner, a joiner’s apprentice, retained his three national titles in 1953 and that year was called up for two year’s National Service. He served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) School of Physical Training, and in his first year helped the RAF win the Inter-Services Diving Championships. Turner retained all three national titles for a third consecutive year in 1954 and then went to Vancouver to represent England at British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver. He finished fifth in the platform event but won the springboard silver medal behind Scotland’s Peter Heatly.

In 1955 Turner won a scholarship to the University of Michigan and, when the ASA published one of their early lists of competitors for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Turner along with the swimming Wardrop twins Bert and Jack were all at Michigan. Only Jack, however, made the trip to Australia. After moving to the United States, Turner helped the University of Michigan swimming and diving team win three consecutive NCAA titles, and was named an All-American. He then went on to become the swimming and diving coach at Riverside City College, California, and served them for 30 years (1964-93). He received the ultimate accolade when he was made Professor Emeritus of Physical Education.