Mike Burton
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games • Other |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | Michael Jay "Mike"•Burton |
| Used name | Mike•Burton |
| Nick/petnames | Mr. Machine |
| Born | 3 July 1947 in Des Moines, Iowa (USA) |
| Measurements | 175 cm / 70 kg |
| Affiliations | Arden Hills Swim Club, Sacramento (USA) |
| NOC |  United States |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 3 |
| Silver | 0 |
| Bronze | 0 |
| Total | 3 |
Biography
Although severely injured at the age of 12 when struck by a truck while riding a bicycle, Mike Burton recovered sufficiently to become one of the great distance freestylers ever. At the 1967 Pan American Games he won gold in 1500 m freestyle and bronze in 400 m freestyle and 200 m butterfly. He set seven world and 16 U.S. records, won 10 AAU titles, and while at UCLA he was five times an NCAA champion. Burton was the first man to break 16 minutes for the 1,650 y free and the first to swim 800 m under 8:30. He was also the first to follow the now standard training regimen of mega-mileage. The first man to win two Olympic 1,500 m freestyle titles, between those championships, he needed further surgery on his knee, a residual of his old injury.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | USA |
Mike Burton | |||
| 400 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 1,500 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 1972 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | USA |
Mike Burton | |||
| 1,500 metres Freestyle, Men (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 4 × 200 metres Freestyle Relay, Men (Olympic) | United States | 1 |
Other participations
| Games | Role | NOC | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 Summer Olympics | Flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony | USA |
Mike Burton |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Pan American Games (1–0–2 1967 Winnipeg SWI gold: 1500 m freestyle, bronze: 400 m freestyle and 200 m butterfly)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Universiade (1–1–1 1965 Budapest SWI bronze: 1500 m freestyle; 1967 Tokyo SWI gold: 1500 m freestyle, silver: 400 m freestyle)
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Long Course Swimming (800 m freestyle – 3 September 1968 - 3 April 1971: 8:34.3 (3 September 1968; Long Beach, USA), 8:28.8 (17 August 1969; Louisville, USA); 1500 m freestyle – 21 August 1966 - 7 July 1968, 3 September 1968 - 23 August 1970, and 4 September 1972 - 5 August 1973: 16:41.6 (21 August 1966; Lincoln, USA), 16:34.1 (13 August 1967; Oak Park, USA), 16:08.57 (3 September 1968; Long Beach, USA), 16:04.5 (17 August 1969; Louisville, USA), 15:52.58 (4 September 1972; München, FRG))
- Listed in Olympic Swimmers - Doubles Champions, Same Year (1968 Distance Freestyle Double Champion (400/1500).)