MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands condolences to the family of Britain's greatest swimmer

The Great David Wilkie opened the swimming pool at the Stanley Leisure Centre

The Falkland Islands Stanley Leisure Centre are sending condolences and thoughts to the family and the people who knew MBE David Wilkie who sadly passed on Wednesday. MBE David Wilkie opened the swimming pool here at Stanley Leisure Centre on the 4th of February 1990!

David was a Scottish swimmer who became the Olympic 200M breaststroke champion in 1976 at Montreal Olympics; he was also the first British swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal in 68 years. David was the only person to have held British, Commonwealth, European, World and Olympic swimming titles at the same time.

David became a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame, in which he has been described as Scotland's greatest and Britain's greatest swimmer.

His family released a statement saying: ”It is with great sadness that the family of David Wilkie MBE announce that he died peacefully surrounded by his family this morning, (22 May), following his brave battle with cancer.”

Born in Sri Lanka to Scottish parents, Wilkie won his first major medal with a bronze at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

In 1975, he completed a 100m and 200m breaststroke double at world level and was voted British Sportsman of the Year by sports writers.

Wilkie's crowning moment came with an extraordinary performance in Montreal, with his Olympic triumph taking more than three seconds off the world record time.

Unbeaten over 200m for four years and the first British man to win Olympic gold in the pool in 68 years, he chose to retire one month after the Games at the age of 22.