1988 Olympic Champion Duncan Armstrong: "Coach Laurie Lawrence prepared me for

1988 Olympic Champion Duncan Armstrong:  "Coach Laurie Lawrence prepared me for the 5 ring circus"

 

 

Armstrong made his international debut for Australia in the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, winning a gold in the 400m freestyle and a second in the 4×200m freestyle relay. Surprisingly the selectors controversially rested him from the 200-metre event in Scotland.

 

Four years earlier as a 14 year old Armstrong would meet the man who would guide his swimming career and change his life forever.  Armstrong stepped onto the pool deck of the legendary Australian Olympic coach Lawrence.  Armstrong recalls that Lawrence kept him waiting for 30 minutes before turning around to interogate him: "Who are you?"  The skinny teenager replied: "My name is Duncan Armstrong, I'm the central Queensland under 14 champion".  Lawrence ignored the young man for another half hour.

 

Lawrence was back to shout another question: "What do you want boy?"  Not to be intimidated Armstrong replied "I'd like you to coach me".  Another round of questions and answers ensued:  "Are you hungry son?" The reply "No its OK, I've just had lunch"  "No, are you hungry for success you idiot?"  "I am" said Armstrong. That was the start of their partnership.

 

Lawrence told Olympic filmmaker Bud Greenspan who was chronicling the 200m freestyle race:  "Duncan wasn't a great athlete, his talent was that he was prepared to work and he was prepared do anything required to be successful. So I gave have him the nickname 'The animal'.  I am a believer that preparation is the most important thing you can.  So that when you stand behind the blocks and when you look left and then you look right, you can honestly say 'I have trained harder than anyone else in this race and i am going to have a bloody great go of it."

 

The twenty year old Armstrong arrived in Seoul but not as a serious contender for a medal.  The Australian faced a trio of past and current world record holders in the 200m even; Matt Biondi of the United States, Artur Wojdat of Poland and Michael Gross of West Germany.  Armstrong came into the Olympics ranked 46th in the world, slipping from his 25th place ranking the year before.

 

Gross was the 1986 World Champion and still held the world record from Los Angeles when he won the 1984 Olympic gold medal.  Sweden’s Anders Holmertz had won the 1987 Europeans. American Matt Biondi was formidable, but he was considered better in the sprint events. Lawrence in the stands could be heard repeating the words "Duncan Armstrong, don't forget Duncan Armstrong".  Amrstong recalls the public address announcer spending about 3 minutes on the introduction for Matt Biondi.  "Oh he is a pretty good swimmer, and then my name is announced, 'In lane 6 Duncan Armstrong from Australia'. 

 

The fastest time in the prelims was set by Poland’s Artur Wojdat and he would race in lane 4.  From lane 6 Armstrong, fourth fastest in the prelims lined up next to Biondi who was in lane five on that Monday, September 19th.

 

In 1984 Australian Jon Sieben coached by Lawrence won the 200 butterfly from lane six in what might have been the big upset of the Los Angeles Games by defeating West Germany's Gross. When Armstrong was on the blocks, Lawrence, shouted out, “That’s right, mate! Lucky lane 6!”

 

Lawrence proposed a plan for Armstrong to swim as close to Biondi as possible. Armstrong drafted off Biondi in the first 50m benefiting from Biondi's wake.  Armstrong was a strong back end swimmer, storming home in the last fifty metres to claim gold in a world record time of 1:47.25. Holmertz finished second and Biondi was third.

 

The reaction to Armstrong's upset victory was even more dramatic in the athlete seating area where his coach was estatic if not out of control. Armstrong recalls that 'the South Korean security guards became concerned when his coach began rattling the barriers as he was giving an interview. Lawrence was shouting as Austrialian television reporter / sportcaster Steven Quartermain journalist asked him "How do you feel?'

 

Using his loudest 'outdoor voice' Lawrence screamed, "Mate we just beat three world record holders, how do you think I feel?  We did it again(from) 'lucky lane 6....we beat 3 world holders.  Mate, What do you think we come here for, Silver?  Stuff the Silver, we come for the gold.

 

Lawrence was emotial during the playing of "Advance Australia Fair", the national anthem.  When interviewed for Greenspan Those years of hard work molding a young kid into a young man and an Olympic hchampion. I have been blessed to be associated with some many great kids. I'm blessed

  

Four days later an equally impressive field faced Armstrong in the 400m freestyle. The standard in Seoul was so high that to qualify for the final, one had to better the existing Olympic record of 3:50.9, set by West German Thomas Fahrner in winning the B final at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

 

The early leader was Sweden’s Anders Holmertz followed by USA's Matt Cetlinski who was the 1987 Pan Pacific champion. Cetlinski took the lead at 300m, followed by Poland’s Artur Wojdat, who trained in the USA and had set the world record 3:48.38 earlier in the the year at the US Nationals.  Holmertz had falled back to third and East German Uwe Dassler paced himself in fourth position.

 

Armstrong who was the 7th fastest qualifier in the final field was closing the gap slightly, but still in seventh at the 300m. Cetlinski continued to lead at 350 but he was dying.  Wojdat and Dassler moved ahead of the American on the final lap.

 

Armstrong, swam the final 100m in 55.02, finishing so stong that he passed all but the East German ace who split 55.55 in his final 100m. Armstrong's sprint could not catch Dassler who finished in 3:46.95 to break Wojdat’s world record.  Armstrong had captured a Silver medal in Seoul.  He had shaved more than five seconds off his personal best swimming a time of 3:47.15 that was faster than the previous world record.  But Wojdat also bettered his own mark to earn the bronze medal.  It took a world record time just to stand on the podium and Wojdat claimed that he had just swum in “The Race of the Century.”