[1] Holland made his first headlines as a 15-year-old, when he broke the 1500 m freestyle world record at the Australian Championships.

[citation needed] In 1974, Holland won a gold medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games, leaving the silver medallist from New Zealand, Mark Treffers more than 25 seconds in arrears.

[citation needed] On arrival in Montreal for the 1976 Summer Olympics, Holland had set 12 world records, and was expected by the Australian public to win.

Holland made his move at the 800 m mark, but then found that he was fading in the final 200 m, when Goodell and Hackett overtook him.

Although Holland had bettered his previous world record, Goodell surpassed it to take the gold.