{"id":591704,"date":"2024-07-24T18:48:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T01:48:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=591704"},"modified":"2024-07-25T04:22:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T11:22:49","slug":"remembering-st-louis-1904-and-the-century-old-olympic-secret-of-the-aussie-who-won-four-medals-for-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/remembering-st-louis-1904-and-the-century-old-olympic-secret-of-the-aussie-who-won-four-medals-for-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Frank Gailey, the Australian Who Won Four Medals for the U.S. at the 1904 Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remembering Frank Gailey, the Australian Who Won Four Medals for the U.S. at the 1904 Olympics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Frank Gailey<\/strong> holds a special place in the annals of Australian and US Olympic swimming rivalry as the only Australian to swim for an American team and win four medals in St. Louis in 1904 \u2013 before the century old secret was revealed in 2009 \u2013 that Francis was in actual fact an Aussie!<\/p>\n

The Gailey story adds a peculiar twist to the long-standing duel between swimming\u2019s archrivals which will re-surface in Paris this weekend when nine-days of must watch swimming \u00a0kicks off the 2024 Paris Olympics – and it’s sure to reach “Boiling Point” \u2013 the name given to an Australian-US inspired documentary which has gone to air twice in Australia in the lead up to these long-awaited Games.<\/p>\n

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SWAP AND GO: Francis “Frank” Gailey won four Olympic medals at the 1904 Olympics that swapped from the US to Australia. Photo Courtesy Australian Olympic Committee.<\/p><\/div>\n

A chronicled rivalry centred around the 4x100m freestyle \u201cSmash \u2018em Like Guitars\u201d relay boilover in 2000; and Duncan Armstrong\u2019s<\/strong> 1988 controversial \u201csurf to the gold\u201d story in Seoul against US legend Matt Biondi.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fuse re-lit in 2023 over who really was the top dog at the Fukuoka World\u2019s with Cate Campbell<\/strong> adding further fuel with her \u201cNot the Star-Spangled Banner again\u201d call that infuriated the GOAT Michael Phelps.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The world\u2019s top two swimming nations, preparing for another showdown at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.<\/p>\n

But at 1904 Games in St Louis \u2013 Francis “Frank” Gailey, an Aussie, born in Brisbane was one of the stars of the Games \u2013 but because he was living in the US and represented the San Francisco Olympic Club he was claimed by US officials \u201cas one of them\u201d but in actual fact he was really \u201cone of us!\u201d<\/p>\n

For well over a century Gailey, a swimmer from Queensland, had mistakenly been listed in official records as an American.<\/p>\n

And 105 years after his freestyling feats in Forest Lake in St Louis, Australia revealed through its Olympic historian Harry Gordon<\/strong> that it had a newly discovered Olympic hero, and the nation\u2019s tally of Olympic medals had suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, been boosted by four — three silver and one bronze.<\/p>\n

READ THE FULL FRANK GAILEY STORY HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

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THE WAY WE WERE: St Louis Swimming Venue, Forest Lake, 1904, where Frank Gailey won four medals. Photo Courtesy Missouri Museum Collection.<\/p><\/div>\n

Of the four events Gailey won his medals in (silvers in the 220, 440 and 880 and bronze in the mile) \u00a0the 880 yards \u00a0was not swum again until it surfaced at the Tokyo Games and won by American Bobby Finke<\/strong> \u2013 Australia\u2019s Jack McLoughlin<\/strong> finishing fifth.<\/p>\n

Finke will be joined on the US roster by rookie Luke Whitlock<\/strong> as he steps up to defend his 800m crown, while Australia will have highly ranked Sam Short<\/strong> and Elijah Winnington<\/strong> in the green and gold corner.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive into some more Olympic history:<\/p>\n

Ariarne Titmus <\/strong>and Mollie O\u2019Callaghan <\/strong><\/p>\n

A slice of Olympic history awaits Australian girls Ariarne Titmus <\/strong>and Mollie O\u2019Callaghan <\/strong>in the women\u2019s 200m freestyle? Victory to defending champion Titmus will make the 23-year-old Tasmanian-born Queenslander the first swimmer to defend the 200m freestyle since it was first swum in Mexico in 1968. Victory to O\u2019Callaghan will set her up for a shot at becoming only the third swimmer in history and the first in over 40 years to take out the rare 100-200m freestyle double.<\/p>\n

While 400m freestyle world record holder and defending champion Ariarne Titmus<\/strong> in the 400m freestyle. Only one swimmer in Olympic history, Swedish-born American Martha Norelius<\/strong> has successfully defended the women\u2019s 400m freestyle at an Olympic Games \u2013 at 15, Martha (coached by her father, Swedish Olympian father George Norelius,<\/strong> who also coached the legendary Johnny Weissmuller<\/strong>) won her first gold in Paris in 1924 when the event debuted on the program 100 years ago. Defending her title in Amsterdam in 1928.<\/p>\n

And if Titmus can add the prestigious 400m the 200m then she becomes only the second swimmer since the 200m was added to the programming 1968 to win the 200-400m freestyle double \u2013 behind the GOAT Katie Ledecky<\/strong> who achieved the feat in Rio in 2016.<\/p>\n

Four Australian women have won gold in the 100m freestyle\u2013 the first to Fanny Durack<\/strong> when the event was swum for the first time in Stockholm in 1912 with fellow Australian Mina Wylie <\/strong>winning silver as the freestyling pioneers from Down Under staged a stunning 1-2 punch in the pool.<\/p>\n

Australia didn\u2019t feature again until 1956 with the arrival of the remarkable Dawn Fraser <\/strong>for the first victory en-route to of her historic three-peat (1956-60-64) with the Australian girls winning gold silver and bronze to Fraser, Lorraine Crapp<\/strong> and Faith Leech<\/strong> in 1956 \u2013 a feat only the US had ever achieved before as the Australians dominated their home Games in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

And it’s 20 years since Jodie Henry<\/strong> won her gold in Athens while Emma McKeon<\/strong> rocketed to her gold in 2020 as she mounted the Aussie attack in Tokyo 2020 with Cate Campbell<\/strong> take the bronze. Now it\u2019s over to the new breed. Can 2023 world champion Mollie O\u2019Callaghan<\/strong> or her St Peters Western teammate Shayna Jack<\/strong> become the fifth golden girl in this coveted blue ribbon 100m freestyle?<\/p>\n