This day in sport – 28 October 1962

Fraser breaks swimming record without tumbles

Australian dual gold medalist Dawn Fraser became the first woman to swim 100 metre in under a minute during the Commonwealth Games trials in Melbourne. Amazingly, Fraser swam a time of 59.98 seconds without using a tumble turn as she was having breathing problems because of her bronchitis. After winning the 100 metre at both the Melbourne and Rome Olympics, Fraser was banned from swimming for her behaviour prior to and after the 1960 Games. She went on to complete the sprint treble in Tokyo before receiving a further 10-year ban for playfully stealing a flag from the Emperor’s Palace.