Charles's Story
Charles Turner emerged through South Australian water polo, joining the state representative team as a teenager in 1968. Born in 1952, he was 23 when he made his Olympic debut at Montreal 1976, where Australia finished 11th in the men’s tournament.
Turner returned for Moscow 1980, helping Australia record victories over Bulgaria, Italy, Greece and Sweden on the way to seventh place. His brother, Michael, was also a member of the Australian team. The pair competed together again at Los Angeles 1984, where Australia reached the championship round and finished fifth - the country’s best Olympic men’s water polo result at that time. Turner completed his playing career with 504 international appearances. After retiring as a player, Turner became a leading coach and sports administrator. He coached the Australian men’s team to fifth place at Barcelona 1992 and to bronze at the 1993 World Cup, Australia’s first medal at a major international men’s tournament. He later held senior positions with the Australian Institute of Sport and the New South Wales Institute of Sport.
