New Dawn Down Under

Nothing in the world of sport is more ephemeral than the careers of champion girl swimmers. No sooner do the girls reach their peak at around 18 than they get interested in careers or marriage, and become bored with thrashing through a chlorine-tanged pool. But in Sydney last week, Aussie Veteran Dawn Fraser staged one of the sport's great performances. Her age: an advanced 22.

The meet was billed as a tour de force for the amazing Konrads kids, the finest freestylers in history. John, 17, and Ilsa, 15, each held six world records. Barrel-chested John was superb: he shaved .3 sec. off his 220-yd. record with a time of 2:01.6, later swam the 440 in 4:15.9, to break his record by 3.1 sec. (and better by .7 sec. the 400-meter mark of Japan's Tsuyoshi Yamanaka), ended by chopping 17.7 sec. off his record for 1,650 yds. (and 1,500 meters) with a time of 17:11.

But the week belonged to Dawn. Mounting the starting blocks with Ilsa in the 440, dark-haired Dawn waggled her broad shoulders and cracked: "Anyone for a swim?" Then she loafed along behind Ilsa for seven of the eight laps before uncorking a demoralizing finishing sprint to win easily in 4:47.4. The race completely undermined Ilsa's hitherto calm confidence ("She's scared of Dawn," confided Coach Don Talbot), turned Dawn into a worldbeater. In the 110-yd. butterfly, a stroke she had taken up only recently to freshen her interest in swimming, Dawn clocked 1:10.8 to slice .4 sec. from the world record of the U.S.'s Becky Collins. Just 45 minutes later, swimming in the rain, Dawn left Ilsa floundering 6 ft. behind as she knocked 1.2 sec. off her own world record for 110 yds. with a time of 60.2 sec. Exclaimed the awed Ilsa: "What a mighty race!"

But Dawn was far from done. Churning far faster than her rivals, she swept through four laps in the 55-yd. pool in 2:11.6, to slash a full 3.1 sec. from her world's record for 220 yds.

A $25-a-week salesgirl in an Adelaide department store, durable Dawn will add even more strength to the swimming team that will represent Australia in the Summer Olympics in Rome. After Dawn had finished rewriting the record book last week, one Aussie official gave way to arm-waving joy: "We'll clean up in Rome." No one said him nay.

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