John Pitann Kinsella (born August 26, 1952) is an American former competition swimmer, an Olympic champion, and a former world record-holder in multiple events. Kinsella was a standout at Illinois

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

powerhouse

Hinsdale Central High School Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS (locally referred to as simply "Central") is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United ...

in the late 1960s. As a 16-year-old, he was the silver medalist in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

in Mexico City, finishing second to U.S. teammate Mike Burton. In 1970, while still a high school senior swimming for the Hinsdale McDonald's Swim Club under coach Don Watson, he was awarded the Amateur Athletic Union's

James E. Sullivan Award The AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), is awarded annually in April to "the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Representatives from the AAU created the AAU Sullivan Award with the int ...

in recognition of the outstanding American amateur athlete of the year. In 1970 he also became the first person to swim 1,500 meters under 16 minutes. After graduating from high school, Kinsella, together with

Mark Spitz Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record ti ...

, Gary Hall Sr., and other notable swimmers, were part of Doc Counsilman's legendary

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Ath ...

swimming and diving team at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

, which dominated men's college swimming in the early 1970s. Kinsella won NCAA national championships in the 500-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle events in 1971, 1972, and 1973. At the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

in Munich, Germany, Kinsella won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay. The first-place team of Kinsella,

Fred Tyler Frederick Daniel Tyler (born March 15, 1954) is an American competitive swimming (sport), swimmer and aquatics coach, winner of several high school and college championships and a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 1972 Summe ...

, Steve Genter, and

set a new world-record time of 7:35.78 in the event final. After graduating from Indiana University, Kinsella went on to swim professionally, setting a time record for swimming the English Channel. He was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the s ...

as an "Honor Swimmer" in recognition for his Olympic performances and later professional swimming career where he achieved the title of "World's Professional Champion." After the end of his competition swimming career, Kinsella attended Harvard Business School. He joined RBC Dain Rauscher as an investment officer, but is no longer with the firm. He currently resides in Illinois. He has a daughter and three sons.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsella, John 1952 births Living people American male freestyle swimmers World record setters in swimming Harvard Business School alumni Indiana Hoosiers men's swimmers James E. Sullivan Award recipients Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Hinsdale, Illinois Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics

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