John Kinsella (swimmer)
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| Olympic medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  United States |
|||
| Men's swimming | |||
| Gold | 1972 Munich | 4x200 m freestyle relay | |
| Silver | 1968 Mexico City | 1500 m freestyle | |
John Pitann Kinsella (born August 26, 1952) was a standout at Illinois swimming powerhouse Hinsdale Central High School in the late 1960s. As a 16 year-old, he was the silver medalist in the 1500 meter freesyle at the 1968 Summer Olympics, finishing second to U.S. teammate Mike Burton.
Kinsella was a member of the gold medal-winning 800 freestyle relay team at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 1970 he was awarded the Amateur Athletic Union's Sullivan Award for outstanding amateur athlete. In that same year he became the first person to swim 1,500 meters under 16 minutes. Kinsella, Mark Spitz and Gary Hall Sr. were part of James Counsilman's legendary team at Indiana University, which dominated men's college swimming in the early 1970s. Kinsella was the NCAA Division 1 champion in the 500 and 1650 freestyle events in 1971, 1972 and 1973. After college, Kinsella went on to swim professionally, setting a time record for swimming the English Channel. He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
