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SYDNEY — John Devitt, who won gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics and set four individual world records in swimming for Australia, has died. He was 86. The Sport Australia Hall of Fame said in a statement that Devitt died Thursday. No cause was given. Devitt won his only individual Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle at Rome. He was also a member of the gold medal-winning 4-x-200 Australian freestyle relay at the Melbourne Games four years earlier. He later served as an executive on the Australian Olympic Committee and helped Sydney win the bid for the 2000 Olympics. Devitt was also the Australian chef de mission for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
