Flash! Aussie Olympian and Coach Terry Buck Dies in Farming Accident

By Stephen J. Thomas

SYDNEY, Australia, March 8. THE Australian swimming community is in mourning following the death yesterday of Olympian and leading coach Terry Buck at the age of sixty-one. Buck, who represented Australia at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and was part of the coaching staff of the Australian swim team from 1976 to 1984, died on Monday after a farming accident on his Tweed River property on the far north coast of New South Wales.

He held the distinction of being the first Aussie Olympic swimmer to become an Olympic coach, and then he went on to become the manager of the swim national team at both the Barcelona and Atlanta Games. Buck was also chairman of the Australian Swim Coaches and Teachers' Association and served a term as director of Australian Swimming (now Swimming Australia).

AOC president John Coates today paid tribute to Buck, saying he had made a tremendous contribution to the Australian Olympic team throughout his career which included representing the country as an athlete, head coach and team manager.

"Terry made an outstanding contribution to swimming over three decades and the Olympic movement owes him a great debt," Coates said.

Former Australian swimming boss Talbot described Buck's death as a tremendous blow for the sport and remembered him as an outstanding Australian team manager in the 1990s.

"His background and ability to think on his feet and do the things that are necessary, and to win through in most difficult situations … was invaluable to me in the national team, and many of our wins were directly due to his background, input, and him smoothing the way."

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