British Olympic swimming champion David Wilkie has died at the age of 70.
The Scot won 200m breaststroke gold in Montreal in 1976, as well as two Olympic silver medals and three world titles.
Many swimming fans will recall Wilkie at Stroud’s indoor pool at Stratford Park Leisure Centre in the 70s.
Stroud Times’ editor Ash Loveridge said: “I remember going to see David Wilkie at Stratford Park Leisure Centre. He was brilliant and seemed to swim a length in a nanosecond. It was such a long time ago, but I’m pretty certain he officially opened the pool back then in 1975 or so.”
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, following his brave battle with cancer.”
Wilkie won his first major medal with a bronze at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
He collected Olympic silver in Munich in 1972 and won World Championship gold the following year.
Wilkie added three more Commonwealth medals for Scotland, including two golds, in 1974.
In 1975, he completed a 100m and 200m breaststroke double at world level and was voted British Sports Personality of the Year.
