Con O’Kelly left his native Ireland in 1903 to join the Hull Fire Brigade and it was while serving on Humberside that he took up wrestling. By 1907 he had won the British heavyweight title and went on to win an Olympic gold medal. At the 1908 Olympics, O’Kelly overcame some tough opposition before meeting Jacob Gundersen in the final. The Norwegian-born Gundersen was representing his native country at the Olympics, although he had been living in New York for nine years and was the reigning American champion. At 33, Gundersen was conceding 11 years to O’Kelly, but he enjoyed a massive physical advantage and it took O’Kelly more than 13 minutes to pin his opponent in the first bout. O’Kelly won the second bout rather more easily to take the Olympic title. In the early 1920’s O’Kelly emigrated to America, but he soon returned to become a farmer in Ireland before moving to England where he subsequently died. His son Con O’Kelly, Jr. represented Britain as a heavyweight boxer at the 1924 Olympics and later fought as a professional before becoming a priest.
Great Britain