Victor Davis

Davis, Victor
Victor Davis, swimmer (b at Guelph, Ont 10 Feb 1964; d at Montreal 13 Nov 1989). Davis was introduced to swimming at age 8. His father introduced him to the sport as a form of recreation and young Davis was treated to weekly trips to the Guelph pool. Davis often credited his interest in swimming with giving him direction in his life and he developed the urge to compete during his teenage years. He won the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events at the Canada-USSR-West Germany Meet in July 1981, set a world record for the 200 m breaststroke at the world championships in Ecuador in August 1982, and won a gold medal and set a Commonwealth record at the 1982 Australia COMMONWEALTH GAMES in the 200 m breaststroke. He was incapacitated in 1983 by mononucleosis but at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics won a gold medal in the 200 m breaststroke (world record, time 2:13.34) and silver medals in the 100 m breaststroke and 4x100 m medley relay. In 1986 he won gold medals in the 100 m breaststroke and 4x100 m medley relay at the Commonwealth Games and finished first (100 m breaststroke) and second (200 m breaststroke) at the world championships.

Davis was known for his fiercely competitive approach to swimming and was prone to outward displays of both excitement when victorious and anguish when defeated. Davis closed out his competitive career at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul as part of Canada's silver-medal-winning 4x100m medley relay team. He was one of the emotional leaders of Canada's swim team during his career. After announcing his retirement, Davis made public his plans to form a company dealing with pool safety and placement service for lifeguards. Unfortunately, his goals were never realized. Davis was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1989. Davis is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Author JAMES MARSH Revised: FRANK COSENTINO

Links to Other Sites
Canadian Olympic Team
See profiles of your favourite Canadian Olympic athletes as well as results and reports from previous Olympic Games. Click on "About" for details on the Canadian Olympic School Program and Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. From the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame promotes Canada's extensive and colourful sport heritage. Check out their website for illustrated biographies of Canadian athletes.

1984 Los Angeles: Victor Davis
View a 1984 video clip in which Victor Davis talks about his training and preparation for the 1984 Olympics. From the CBC Digital Archives website.

Victor Davis
A brief profile of Canadian champion swimmer Victor Davis from the Waterloo Public Library.

Victor: The Victor Davis Story
A brief summary of Victor Davis' many achievements in swimming competitions. From stepbystep.ca.

Hansard Transcripts: Victor Davis
See statements in tribute of Olympic swimmer Victor Davis that were offered by members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.