Len Moorhouse
Moorhouse in 1928
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Leonard James Moorhouse |
| Born |
14 March 1904 Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Died | 4 May 1970 (aged 66) Marlborough or Christchurch (sources differ) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
Leonard James "Len" Moorhouse (14 March 1904 – 4 May 1970) was a New Zealand swimmer who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics.
Moorhouse was born in Dunedin in 1904. He had four sisters and two brothers. His father, Charles Edwin Moorhouse, was a keen yachtsman in Otago in his early years. His grandfather, William Sefton Moorhouse, was a nephew of the second Superintendent of Canterbury Province of the same name.
As a teenager, he suffered an accident that disfigured his foot, and his left leg was shorter than the other one. He received aquarobic therapy and spent so much time in the water that at age 18, he started competing in swimming. His disability was serious enough that he had difficulty walking, and being in water was a relief.
He was one of two swimmers from Christchurch to compete at the 1928 Summer Olympics in swimming; the other Christchurch competitor was Dave Lindsay. At the time of the 1928 Olympics, Moorhouse was the New Zealand backstroke champion for 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, and 150 yards. Lindsay was considered New Zealand's strongest swimmer, followed by from Dunedin. Moorhouse was ranked third and thus did not qualify for financial assistance, but he chose to travel to the Amsterdam Olympics at his own expense. The costs were estimated to be NZ£400 per athlete.
At the Olympics, Moorhouse competed in the 100 metre backstroke event. He came third in his heat, with only the top two swimmers qualifying for the semi-finals. After the Olympic Games, he was highly critical of the training conditions in Amsterdam, where the American competitors were given preferential treatment and had access to the competition pool, whilst the New Zealand swimmers were given 10 minutes per day to train in a canal with stagnant water polluted with oil from ships. He lobbied for trainers to accompany all Olympic sports, even if that meant that fewer athletes could be sent. Moorhouse was the swim manager for the 1950 British Empire Games held in Auckland.
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