Ralph Hutton (CAN)

Honor Swimmer (1984)

FOR THE RECORD:  OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 silver (400m freestyle); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1963 silver (freestyle relay), bronze (1500m freestyle); 1967 gold (200m backstroke), silver (200m, 400m, 1500m freestyle; 2 freestyle relays); 1971 silver (freestyle relay), bronze (200m, 400m freestyle); WORLD RECORDS 1968 (400m freestyle); AAU NATIONALS: 1968 (400m freestyle); AMERICAN RECORDS: 1968 (400m freestyle); COMMONWEALTH GAMES: 1966 gold (medley relay), silver (100m, 200m backstroke; 400m individual medley; 2 freestyle relays), bronze (400m, 1500m freestyle); 1970 silver (200m, 400m freestyle; 2 freestyle relays); CANADIAN NATIONALS Titles: 21 (200m, 400m, 440yd, 1650yd freestyle; 100yd, 220yd backstroke; 220yd butterfly; 400m individual medley); CANADIAN RECORDS: 20.

Ralph “Iron Man” Hutton won his 24 International medals in clusters.  His two most noteworthy clusters were won at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where the 16 year old Hutton competed in seven of the nine individual events, (he did not swim the 200 breast or the 1500 free), and at the 1966 Commonwealth Games at Kingston, Jamaica where he equaled or bettered the existing World Record in four out of five individual events.  Counting relays, the “Iron Man” won one gold, five silver and two bronze in 3.5 miles of swimming against the best in the world.  Hutton was coached by George Gate in a 20yd paper mill pool in Ocean Falls, British Columbia, setting his first National Senior record at 14.  At the 1963 Pan Am Games, as a 15 year old, Hutton won the first two of his 24 International medals and four years later he won a gold and five silvers.  Two of his second-place medals were in the 200 and 400 free placing behind the USA’s Don Schollander and Greg Charlton, both in World Record times.  In 1968 at the U.S. Nationals, Hutton set a World Record in the 400; placed second in the 200; and fourth in the 1500 free.  At the high altitude Mexico Olympics, he made finals in five freestyle events.