The finest gold: memoirs of an olympic swimmer

Munich, 1972. In the men's 400-metre freestyle race, America's Rick DeMont beats Australia's Brad Cooper by a hundredth of a second.

It's the first electronic timing to deliver a win by such a close margin.

The following day, DeMont is stripped of his medal in the world's first swim doping disqualification.

Three days later, as the Black September terrorist attack is unfolding on the other side of the Village, Brad is presented with gold in a 'farce of firsts'.

Neither Brad nor the Olympics will ever be the same.

This is a story about a global sporting competition - its glory, ignominy, and industry - but mostly it is the intimate account of the making of an athlete.