Biography
Thorogood, an Aucklander, moved to Dunedin in the lead-up to the Games to train under the expert eye of coach Duncan Laing at the Moana Pool.
In Christchurch, “Trow” as he was known to his mates, swam both backstroke events, plus the medley relay.
In the 100m backstroke, Thorogood was 6th in his heat, in 1min 04.69s, which placed him 13th of the 16 competitors.
He was 5th in his heat of the 200m backstroke, clocking 2min 16.22s, which placed him 10th overall, two spots outside the final.
New Zealand’s 4 x 100m medley relay team – Thorogood, Brent Lewis, Michael Toomey and Brett Naylor - were 6th in a time of 4min 14.08s, more than 21 seconds behind gold medallists Canada. Lead swimmer Thorogood covered his 100m backstroke in 1min 04.36s, which was faster than he managed in the individual event.
Thorogood won two New Zealand titles, achieving the backstroke 100m-200m double in 1974.
He went on to have a long career in the fire service in Auckland, based for a significant period at Mt Roskill.
athlete
Fast facts
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