Here’s a great story. Ursula Carlile (pictured) and her husband Forbes pioneered a range of training techniques – including interval training and heart rate monitored training – back in the 1950’s as they set up nine swimming centres around Sydney.
The centres’ success led Ms Carlile to become the country’s first-ever female swimming coach, training a number of famous Australian swim stars including Shane Gould who won five medals, including three gold, at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Sadly, Mr Carlile died in 2016 and Ms Carlile’s arthritis means she can no longer get in the pool herself. But she always starts her day with a session on the exercise bike and says she still enjoys training children as much as she did when she was younger.
“Adults come up to me and say, ‘Do you remember me?’ from when they were seven or eight years old,” she told SBS News.
Now Ms Carlile is being acknowledged for her many years of dedication – next year she will travel to the US to enter the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
A worthy honour.
