Una bracciata per la vittoria

In the movie, Tony competes in the 100-meter backstroke, winning a silver medal at the Empire Games in 1962. In 1962, the Empire Games swimming events were measured in yards, and Tony won silver behind another Australian in the 220-yard event. When he is later told that "your event was today" in reference to the 1964 Olympics, it refers to the 200-meter backstroke - the 100 wasn't contested in Tokyo.

The United States release has several scenes cut or shortened compared to the Australian release. These have been included in the extras on the DVD's. The ending of the US version is very different from the Australian version. The Australian version has Tony's dad appearing at the pool in the end scene, whereas the US version it is his coach.

Featured in Swimming Upstream: The Making of a Champion (2005)