Mark Tonelli
Introduction


**Mark Lyndon Tonelli** (born 13 April 1957\), whose birth name was **Mark Lyndon Leembruggen**, is an Australian former [backstroke](/wiki/Backstroke "Backstroke"), [butterfly](/wiki/Butterfly_swimming "Butterfly swimming"), and [freestyle](/wiki/Freestyle_swimming "Freestyle swimming") [swimmer](/wiki/Swimming_%28sport%29 "Swimming (sport)") of the 1970s and 1980s, who won a gold in the 4×100\-metre medley relay at the [1980 Moscow Olympics](/wiki/1980_Summer_Olympics "1980 Summer Olympics") as a makeshift butterfly swimmer in the self\-named *[Quietly Confident Quartet](/wiki/Quietly_Confident_Quartet "Quietly Confident Quartet")*. Tonelli unofficially led the relay team and was an athletes' spokesperson who fought for the right of Australian Olympians to compete in the face of a [government](/wiki/Government_of_Australia "Government of Australia") call for a boycott to protest against the [Soviet invasion of Afghanistan](/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Afghanistan "Soviet invasion of Afghanistan").

Tonelli took up swimming due to his asthma, and quickly came to prominence. Selected to represent Australia at the [1973 World Championships](/wiki/1973_World_Aquatics_Championships "1973 World Aquatics Championships"), he came sixth in the 200 m backstroke at the age of 16\. He won his first Australian titles in 1974 in the 100 m backstroke and 200 m butterfly and went on to the [1974 Commonwealth Games](/wiki/1974_Commonwealth_Games "1974 Commonwealth Games") in [Christchurch](/wiki/Christchurch "Christchurch"), where he won his first major international race, the 100 m backstroke, and took silver in the 200 m backstroke. In 1975, Tonelli won his only individual medal at global level, a silver in the 200 m backstroke at the [World Championships](/wiki/1975_World_Aquatics_Championships "1975 World Aquatics Championships") in [Cali](/wiki/Cali%2C_Colombia "Cali, Colombia"), Colombia. In 1975, Tonelli enrolled at the [University of Alabama](/wiki/University_of_Alabama "University of Alabama") in the United States, studying and competing in the collegiate sport system. He was selected in both backstroke events for the [1976 Summer Olympics](/wiki/1976_Summer_Olympics "1976 Summer Olympics") in [Montreal](/wiki/Montreal "Montreal"), but struggled and missed the medals in both events. During his stay in America, Tonelli set times that would have placed him among the world's leading swimmers, but he was expelled from the [1978 Commonwealth Games](/wiki/1978_Commonwealth_Games "1978 Commonwealth Games") team for breaches of discipline.

After finishing his American university career, Tonelli returned to Australia and gained selection for his second Olympics. Having cleared the political obstacles, Tonelli was given a heavy schedule of six events: both backstroke races, the 100 m freestyle and butterfly, and two relays. He made little impact in the individual events, only reaching one final. Australia lacked butterfly swimmers and Tonelli was versatile, so he swum the stroke in the medley relay. He performed above his previous record, posting a time fast enough to win silver in the corresponding individual event and helping Australia to an unexpected win. Upon returning to Australia, Tonelli retired with eleven individual Australian championships in three different strokes.


What was the reason for the Australian government's call to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics?