David Wilkie, swimming gold medallist for Great Britain in 1976, dies aged 70

The British Olympic swimming champion David Wilkie has died at the age of 70.

His family announced that the Scottish great Wilkie, who won 200m breaststroke gold for Great Britain in Montreal in 1976, died peacefully on Wednesday morning after suffering from cancer.

Wilkie’s family said in a statement: “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.”

As well as the 1976 gold medal, Wilkie won two Olympic silver medals and three world titles. Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1954 to Scottish parents, Wilkie won his first major medal with a bronze at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, representing Scotland.

His first world Championship gold followed in 1973 in Belgrade, and two years later he won both 100m and 200m breaststroke titles in Cali. Wilkie was crowned Olympic champion after an extraordinary performance in Montreal, where he broke the world record by more than three seconds.

The record, one of five he achieved in his career, would stand for five years, but Wilkie would not attempt to better it, choosing instead to retire one month after the Games at the age of 22. Wilkie was awarded an MBE in 1977 and subsequently became a successful businessman. He is survived by his wife, Helen, and children, Natasha and Adam.