Con O'Kelly
Con O'Kelly, born George Cornelius O'Kelly on 29 October 1886 in Dunmanway, County Cork, Ireland, was an Irish wrestler who competed for Great Britain and won a gold medal at the 1908 London Olympics. He stood 6 ft 3 in tall and weighed about 220 lb.
After moving to Hull, England, he joined the Kingston upon Hull City Police in 1902 and also worked with the fire brigade. He began wrestling through his colleagues, winning the British Amateur Wrestling Heavyweight Championship. In March 1908 a wall collapsed on him while he was fighting a fire at a sawmill, injuring his back and shoulder, but he recovered in time for the Olympics.
At the 1908 Olympics, O'Kelly defeated Lee Talbott, Harry Foskett, and Edward Barrett to reach the final, where he beat Jacob Gundersen to claim the gold medal. Queen Alexandra presented his medal, and a large Hull crowd welcomed him home, parading him on a decorated fire engine.
O'Kelly continued wrestling after the Olympics and even fought in New York. A 1909 bout against Pat Connolly ended in a double disqualification and was described by the New York Times as the worst wrestling match held there.
He married Sabina Larvin, the daughter of his Hull landlord. His son, George Cornelius "Con" O'Kelly Jr., later boxed for Britain at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Con O'Kelly died on 3 November 1947 in Kingston upon Hull, England, at the age of 61.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:10 (CET).