Tokyo Olympic Games souvenir medal

This 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games souvenir medal was designed by Taro Okamoto and Kazumitsu Tanaka. It features three stylised athletes and an olive branch on the obverse, and the Olympic rings and text on the reverse. In total, 17,000 medals were minted by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, and were issued to participating athletes and officials.

In a swimming career spanning four decades, Linda McGill produced championship performances in the pool at local club, state, national and international meets, and pioneered women's open water long distance swimming. She represented Australia at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth winning gold, silver and bronze medals, and at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964. McGill was the first person to swim across Port Phillip Bay (1968) and to swim around Hong Kong Island (1976). McGill also became the first Australian to swim the English Channel (1965), and to swim around Manhattan Island (1983).

In 1964 Linda McGill represented Australia in the women’s 200 metres breaststroke, 100 metres butterfly, 4 × 100 metres medley relay, and 400 metres individual medley final. Despite not placing at the games, McGill made headlines when she was suspended from competitive swimming for four years as a result of defying an Australian order not attend the opening ceremony.