Mike Burton

Michael Jay Burton (born July 3, 1947) is an American swimmer who competed for the University of California at Los Angeles, a three-time Olympic champion, and a former world record-holder in two freestyle distance events. He would later have a career as a swimming coach.

University of California at Los Angeles Burton attended the University of California at Los Angeles where he swam for Hall of Fame Coach Bob Horn. He won individual NCAA titles five times during his swimming years at UCLA from 1967-1970.

During his collegiate years, his AAU titles included the 500 Free (1970), 1650 Free (1967, 1968, 1970), and 200 Fly (1970), and he was named an All-American for winning these events. At the 1967 University Games in Tokyo, Japan, he won a gold medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle, ahead of Russian Semyon Belits-Geiman.

Olympics

Burton won two gold medals in individual events at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City: the 400-meter freestyle where he swam a 4:09.0 and the 1,500-meter freestyle where he swam a 16:38.9. Despite having been sick in Mexico City, Burton won the 400-meter in a close race against Ralph Hutton of Canada. He won the 1,500-meter, finishing 18 seconds ahead of second-place American John Kinsella.

At the 1500-meter event at the Munich Games, Burton started fast and was the early leader over Australian star Graham Windeatt, though Windeatt recovered and regained the lead. Burton overtook Windeatt in the closing lengths, touched first, broke Rick DeMont's standing world record and won the gold medal for the U.S. team. He coached at The Evergreen Swim Team in Olympia, WA through 1997, and then at the Seahawks in Billings, Montana, at the local YMCA until 2007.