Leslie Palmer (water polo)

{{short description|British water polo player}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Leslie Palmer

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| fullname = Leslie Palmer

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| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1910|06|17}}

| birth_place = Cardiff, Wales

| death_date = {{death year and age|1997|1910}}

| death_place = Glamorgan, Wales

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| country = Great Britain

| sport = Water Polo

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Leslie Palmer (born 17 June 1910,[http://www.olympics.org.uk/athleterecord.aspx?at=4448 British Olympic Association site] died 1997) was a British water polo player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/53944 |title=Leslie Palmer |work=Olympedia |access-date=7 March 2022}}

Leslie Palmer began his career with Barry SC in both swimming and water polo. At the age of sixteen, he won the Welsh half-mile championship in 1926, and he kept it the next year after joining the Cardiff Polytechnic SC. In 1926 and 1927, Palmer won the prestigious 2-mile Taff Swim, which was held for the Long-Distance Championship of Wales. He also won the Welsh 220-yard title. He prevailed by the slimmest of margins in both cases—just inches in 1926. Shelagh Browning, his future wife, also triumphed in the renowned race twice, in 1936 and 1937.{{Cite web |title=Olympedia – Leslie Palmer |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/53944 |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=www.olympedia.org}}

Palmer led the Polytechnic team to multiple Welsh Senior Water Polo titles while playing water polo. In addition, he captained Wales and played county polo for Glamorgan, continuing to do so after turning forty. Palmer went on to become a swimming and water polo coach. Before taking over as Great Britain's manager in 1958, he coached the Welsh polo team for four years.

He was part of the British team which finished eighth in the 1936 tournament.[http://www.dunfermline-wpc.co.uk/SASA/olympians.htm Scottish Water Polo Archive] He played one match, against Austria.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418003403/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pa/leslie-palmer-1.html Leslie Palmer's record at Sports-Reference.com]