John Beavan (swimmer)
British swimmer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John E. Beavan (born 1935) is a Welsh former swimmer who specialised in breaststroke and competed at the Commonwealth Games.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (Welsh) |
| Born | 1935 (age 90–91) Newport, Wales |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
Event | Breaststroke |
| Club | Sparkhill SC Maindee SC |
Biography
Beavan born in Newport worked as a draughtsman in Birmingham[1] and while based there swam for the Sparkhill Swimming Club.[2]
However, his main success came as a member of the Maindee Swimming Club of Newport and in March 1958 set a new Welsh record for 220 yards breaststroke after recording a time of 2 minutes 45.2 seconds.[3] He was selected by Great Britain for the match against Germany to celebrate the opening of the Wales Empire Pool.[4] He won the 200 metres breaststroke and was the stand out swimmer at the Wales versus Ireland international swimming gala in May 1958.[5]
He represented the Welsh team[6] at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, where he reached the final of the 220 yards breaststroke[7] and helped Wales secure a sixth place finish in the final of the men's 110 yards medley relay with John Brockway, Bernard Newman and Richard Evans.[8]
Four years later, he represented the 1962 Welsh team[9] at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia,[10] where he participated in the 110 and 220 yards breaststroke events.[11]