John Konrads - Rome Olympics and Beyond

Rome Olympics and Beyond

At the Olympics in Rome, fellow Australian and defending 400 m and 1500 m champion Murray Rose had returned from the United States to compete, and qualified fastest for the 400 m final, although well outside Konrads' mark. Konrads held the lead in the final until the halfway mark, when Rose attacked and Konrads deviated from his raceplan. Rose went on to win in 4 m 18.3s while Konrads was third in 4 m 21.8s, well outside his world record of 4 m 15.9s. In the 1500 m final, Konrads qualified second as Rose set an Olympic record in the final. Although George Breen of the United States had attacked early, Konrads stuck to his raceplan and overhauled him to win in an Olympic record time of 17 m 19.6s, with Rose second. In the 4x200 m freestyle relay, Konrads combined with Devitt, Rose and David Dickson to claim a bronze medal behind the United States and Japan. In Olympic training at the Tobruk Pool, Townsville, Queensland, the Australians had broken the world record for this event, but without teammate Jon Henricks, who withdrew due to illness, they were not able to keep pace with the Americans who claimed both the gold and the world record.

After the games, Konrads accepted a swimming scholarship at the University of Southern California, where his performances decreased over time. Upon returning to Australia to qualify for the 1964 Summer Olympics, he managed only qualification for the 4x200 m freestyle relay team. He only swam in the heats, and watched from the stands as another Australian, Bob Windle, claimed his 1500 m title. After retirement, Konrads became a swimming coach, and with his marketing degree from USC, he eventually rose to the Australasian directorship of L'Oréal. He later established a consultancy and advertising firm.

He has also publicly revealed his struggles with Bipolar Disorder, and sought to raise public awareness with features on Australian television.
In 1984, Konrads had one of his gold medals (1500-metre freestyle-1960 Rome Olympics) stolen from his Melbourne home. It was found 25 years later after a woman tried to sell it to an American sports enthusiast. The woman purchased that gold medal at a bric-a-brac sale in Brisbane. The returned medal is now on loan for display at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne. In 2011, John Konrads decided to auction his collection of swimming memorabilia, including his medals.