On the eve of the Rio Olympics, Australia’s oldest Olympian, Forbes Carlile, has died at the age of 95.

Mr Carlile first coached the Australian swimming team at the London Olympics in 1948, before competing in the modern pentathlon himself in Helsinki in 1952.

In doing so, he became the only Australian to first coach at and then compete in the Olympics.

Mr Carlile’s death was confirmed by The Australian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association (ASCTA) on Tuesday.

“It is with great sadness that ASCTA announce the passing of our legend and number one swimming coach, Forbes Carlile,” a statement said.

“For many years, Forbes Carlile was an integral member of the ASCTA Conference and was always seated in the front row beside his wife Ursula.

“He will be sadly missed by the whole swimming community.”

The ASCTA also credited him with changing the way swimmers trained.

“His pioneering work on elite athlete training methods included interval workouts, pace clocks and log books, heart rate tests, training under stress and T Wave studies of the ventricles,” the ASCTA said.

“He developed techniques such as even-paced swimming and the use of two-beat kicks for long-distance events.

Mr Carlile was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Australian Sports Hall of Fame 12 years later.

Only last week he became Australia’s oldest living Olympian, when former fencer Helen Joy Hardon died on the Central Coast.

She was two days older than Mr Carlile.