Mike Burton, 3-Time Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer, First American to Win Consecutive 1,500-Meter Freestyle Gold Medals, Dies at 79 The Illinois-born athlete died after a lengthy illness, according to his son. By Dave Sheinin 15 hours ago Mike Burton, the first American to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the 1,500-meter freestyle swim, has died at the age of 79, according to his son. Eric Burton posted the news on his father, born in Illinois and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, last Friday on his Facebook page. 

"My dad, Mike Burton, has passed away after a grueling battle with Alzheimer's and dementia," Eric Burton wrote. 

"My dad was by far the toughest man to have ever lived. He always inspired me to greatness. "His death date was yesterday. We are all feeling very sad but also so grateful to be a part of such an incredible life. 

Godspeed, dad."

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, despite being ill, Burton edged Ralph Hutton of Canada in the 400-meter free and won the 1,500 by 18 seconds over fellow American John Kinsella, a victory margin that has never been surpassed. Four years later in Munich, Burton successfully defended his 1,500 title in a world-record time of 15 minutes, 52.58 seconds. In the spring of 1972, he had been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency and barely made the team at the U.S. trials, where he finished fourth in the 400, and failed to qualify in the 200 butterfly. 

Burton's historic repeat was overshadowed by teammate Mark Spitz's record-setting run of seven gold medals and the murders of 11 Israeli athletes in the Munich massacre, which took place a day after his race. Burton carried the American flag at the closing ceremony. Burton's accomplishments in the mile race began a string of success for the Americans, as Brian Goodell won gold at Montreal in 1976. 

American swimmer Bobby Finke duplicated Burton's feat when he captured successive 1,500 titles at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, setting a world record of 14 minutes, 30.67 seconds in Paris. 

Burton was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1977. He is a member of UCLA's Hall of Fame, winning five NCAA individual titles. Born in Des Moines, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Burton sustained severe injuries at age 12 when he was struck by a truck while riding his bike. His injuries led him to abandon his youth ambitions for football and baseball, and he set his sights on swimming instead. 

On his way to establishing himself as one of the sport's all-time great distance swimmers, he became the first man to swim the 800 in less than 8:30 and the first man to follow training by high mileage to optimize stroke efficiency and cardiovascular endurance. 

(Olympic champion swimmer Janet Evans used a similar training program.) Burton later coached swim teams in Iowa, Washington and Montana.

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Lakshya