Kenneth Kennedy
Kenneth George Kennedy (born September 6, 1913 in Sydney , † August 20, 1985 ibid) was an Australian speed skater and ice hockey player and ice hockey official. He was the first Australian to take part in the 1936 Winter Olympics.
Career
Between 1931 and 1934 Kennedy held the Australian championship title over the distances of the quarter mile and the mile . During this time he also played ice hockey at the federal level. He then played for two years for the Maple Leaf ice hockey team in Birmingham , where he won the speed skating championships in 1935 and 1936 over distances of 880 yards and one mile.
At the age of 22, Kenneth took part in speed skating competitions at the 1936 Winter Olympics. His best performance here was 29th place over the 500 meter distance. After the Olympics, Kenneth turned pro in England, earning £ 75 a week.
When the Second World War broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force . After the war, Kenneth returned to Australia, where he played ice hockey for another six years. He eventually became president of the Australian Ice Hockey Association and represented the organization as a delegate to the Australian Olympic Federation , where he took the position that overseas travel would be necessary if Australian athletes were to achieve world standards. Kenneth was still a speed skater in the 1980s and also owned a speed skating equipment shop in Sydney.
Web links
- Kenneth Kennedy in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
- Information about the 1936 Winter Games
- Statistics at speed skating news
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kennedy, Kenneth |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kennedy, George Kenneth; Kennedy, Ken |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Australian speed skater and ice hockey player and ice hockey official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 6, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sydney , Australia |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 20, 1985 |
| Place of death | Sydney , Australia |