John Kinsela
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Francis Kinsela |
| Born | 27 May 1950 Surry Hills, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Died | 9 November 2020 (aged 70) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Australia |
| Sport | Wrestling |
John Francis Kinsela AM (27 May 1950 – 9 November 2020)[1] was an Australian indigenous wrestler who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.[2][3]
Kinsela was born in the inner-Sydney neighbourhood of Surry Hills, New South Wales, his father a Wiradjuri and his mother Jawoyn. He grew up in the neighbouring suburb of Redfern, New South Wales. At the age of 14 Kinsela left school to work in a sock factory.[4]
Between the Mexico City and Munich Olympic Games, Kinsela was
1st Commando Regiment for six years. Kinsela excelled as a Commando, winning the "Commando of the Year" award in 1981.[4]
Kinsela suffered from
post traumatic stress disorder and in 2001 suffered a mental breakdown. After successful treatment, Kinsela returned to community life, serving on the board of Wrestling NSW and acting as the chairperson of a community sentencing program for indigenous offenders in the western Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt.[4]
References
- ^ "John Kinsela". Olympedia. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "John Kinsela". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ "Australian Indigenous Olympians" (PDF). Australian Olympic Committee website. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ a b c Skene, Patrick (14 July 2016). "The forgotten story of ... John Kinsela, the first Aboriginal Olympic wrestler". The Guardian (Australia). Retrieved 15 July 2016.
External links
- John Kinsela at Olympedia
- John Kinsela at the Australian Olympic Committee
