David Wilkie dies aged 70 as tributes paid to British swimming Olympic icon

Olympic swimming champion David Wilkie has died aged 70 from cancer.

Wilkie is best known for winning a gold medal in the 200m breaststroke at the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976. The Scot also won two Olympic silver medals and three world titles during a successful swimming career.

He was voted British Sports personality of the year in 1975 and was awarded an MBE in 1977.

A statement from his family read: “It is with great sadness that the family of David Wilkie MBE announce that he died peacefully surrounded by his family this morning, following his brave battle with cancer.” Team GB tweeted: "Our thoughts are with David's family and friends."

David Wilkie, Olympic Champion, 200 metre breaststroke, Montreal Olympics

He is survived by his wife, Helen, and children Natasha and Adam. Adam Wilkie said: “My dad was a truly wonderful man, father, and husband. He achieved so much in his life and those that knew him will never forget his love for life, kindness, and wonderful sense of humour.”

Former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies tweeted: "I am so sad to hear of the loss of Olympic champion superstar breaststroker, my first crush & definitely an inspiration, proud Scotsman David Wilkie who died earlier today, sleep tight old friend x."

The best moment of Wilkie's career came in Montreal in 1976, when he took gold in the 200m breaststroke while taking over three seconds off the world record in the process. He was unbeaten over 200m for four years and surprisingly chose to retire one month after the Games at the age of just 22.

Wilkie won his first major medal - a bronze - at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh while representing Scotland. He picked up a gold medal at the World Championships in 1973 in Belgrade, and two years later he won both 100m and 200m breaststroke titles in Cali.

He remained involved in swimming after retiring from competing and helped develop technology around the sport. Wilkie founded a company called Health Perception in 1986 and sold it for £7.8million in 2004. In 2009 he helped found a pet food business.