Duncan Goodhew

After swimming competitively in America as a collegian at North Carolina State University, he was an Olympic swimmer for Great Britain and won Olympic gold and bronze medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. He also swam at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Duncan Goodhew
MBE

Personal information
Full name	Duncan Alexander Goodhew
National team	United Kingdom
Born	(1957-05-27) 27 May 1957 (age 66) Marylebone, London, England
Height	6 ft (183 cm)
Weight	12 st 8 lb; 80 kg (176 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke
College team	North Carolina State University
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games 1980 Moscow 100 m breaststroke 1980 Moscow 4×100 m medley World Championships - Long Course 1978 Berlin 4×100 m medley European Championships - Long Course 1977 Jönköping 4×100 m medley Summer Universiade 1977 Sofia 100 m breaststroke Representing  England Commonwealth Games 1978 Edmonton 100 m breaststroke 1978 Edmonton 200 m breaststroke 1978 Edmonton 4×100 m medley

Goodhew attended Windlesham House School and Millfield School (Walton House).

He was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 13.

At the age of 15, he fell out of a tree, which triggered permanent hair loss due to alopecia universalis.

Goodhew came to prominence as an international swimmer in 1976, finishing 7th in the 100m breaststroke at the Montreal Olympics that summer. Four years later, in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, he won gold in the 100m breaststroke, in a time of 1:03.34, and a bronze in the 4x100m medley relay. He represented England and won three silver medals in the breaststroke events and medley relay, at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. At the ASA National British Championships he won the 100 metres breaststroke title in 1976, 1978 and 1980 and the 200 metres breaststroke title in 1976, 1978 and 1980.

Goodhew was selected by the British Bobsleigh Association to represent Great Britain at the 1981 European Championships.

He is also an author and motivational speaker. In 1983 he was appointed an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to sport. In 1987 he participated in Prince Edward's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament.

Goodhew's 100m breaststroke gold medal achievement was ranked 99th in the British network Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002.

On 29 September 2001, Goodhew participated in an international relay off the coast of California from Santa Catalina Island to Santa Monica. Of the eight international relay teams participating, each team had one swimmer with MS. Goodhew swam on the same team as organizer and MS activist Taylor MH. Proceeds from fund-raising were all donated to the Myelin Project.

Goodhew has made a number of television appearances including featuring in several episodes of Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment.^{[citation needed]}

Goodhew married Annie Patterson, an American graphic designer from North Carolina, in December 1984, and they have two children.

In 2000, Labour MP Robert Sheldon collapsed in the street and was revived by mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by Goodhew who happened to be passing.

• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)